Under the Influence
by megamatt09
Summary: AU. Post Season Two. Kara gets released from stasis early and chases down Clark when he's in Metropolis on RedK. Of course, those pesky red rocks effect her as well. Clark/Kara/Multi. Voting Closed!
1. Chapter 1

_As most fan fictions are, this has some elements that are slightly AU. I don't own Smallville or anything else, that's the property of DC Comics. This story has cousin incest in it that may offend some sensibilities. _

_Pairing: Clark/Kara, maybe more, see my note at the bottom. _

**Prologue: The Promise. **

Krypton was dying. Some might say the planet was about to die for years but despite the constant warnings, the people of Krypton believed that everything was going to be okay. They expected Krypton to last forever but the crumbling of the crystal towers in Kandor and the ever increasing tremors, which happened at least once an hour, if not more, spoke a different story.

Tomorrow would not come.

Kara Zor-El looked up at the red sky, nervously biting her lip when she watched everything happen around her. The city she loved, that she grew up in, it was going to cease to exist along with the rest of Krypton. The blonde blinked and her heart sped up a little bit, before a knot twisted in her stomach. She edged closer to the edge of her home in Kandor, knowing that this would be the very last time she saw it.

Her mother always said that she had a certain amount of spirit and potential, she would be one of the brightest minds that Krypton ever seen. Kara hoped she could live up to a fraction of potential. At fifteen years of age, in many ways, her life was beginning. It was a shame that it would have to continue elsewhere.

The shining promise of the relatively young planet known as Earth was in Kara's not so distant future. There was one element in that world that was not present on Krypton and that was the yellow sun. The yellow sun could sustain her and allow her to grow stronger, to obtain gifts beyond her wildest imagination and allow her to increase her potential.

Such power could go to the head of the greatest minds of this planet, never mind a headstrong teenage girl. Kara resolved to keep these things in perspective no matter what.

"Kara, time grows short, but I had to see you one more time before the end."

The bright eyed blonde spun around and her heart gave a leap when she saw the woman standing in the distance. A smile crossed Kara's face when the teenager greeted this woman.

"Aunt Lara," Kara breathed, when she rushed forward to greet the woman with a tight hug. "It's nice to see you."

Kara tried not to let her nerves be betrayed but Lara saw through the façade immediately.

"You fear what might happen if you or Kal-El do not make it to Earth," Lara responded in a gentle voice, reaching forward to place a hand gently upon the cheek of Kara. "Do not despair, Kara, for you are brave and strong and can weather any storm that comes your way."

Kara found her aunt's confidence to be quite endearing but she thought about all that she lost. Starting with her mother at the age of eight years old and then escalating from there. She lost friends in the civil war with Zod. Classmates she went to school often left for the day and never returned. It was a scary situation and a part of Kara feared she might be next.

Despite all that, she gained a certain amount of strength that she would need during the three year journey to Earth. The blonde snapped her eyes open after she closed them for a few seconds in thought. Lara stood there, always smiling and always supportive.

"I would think that Jor-El would be able to build an escape pod for all three of you," Kara remarked in an accusing voice. Jor-El was not one of her favorite people.

Lara decided to choose her next words rather carefully. "Jor-El…thinks that Kal-El has a grander destiny and he must be sent alone."

"Too much is left to chance that way though," Kara answered when she felt the butterflies flapping in her stomach. "I know you've observed the family that you plan on taking in Kal-El but….what if you are mistaken? Or what if someone else reaches him first?"

Lara smiled sadly. "Questions I have asked of Jor-El but someone with his intellect, he does not plan for failure. Yet he holds the burdens of the destruction of the entire planet in the palm of his hand. Rao knows that Jor-El's flaws are many, hence while he hopes to exorcise them when he crafts the AI to guide our son."

Lara's voice dripped with a great amount of skepticism and Kara picked up on it immediately. "Do you not trust that will go as planned?"

"He wishes to transfer everything to the AI, with the exception of his emotions," Lara responded when she hung her head, hiding the look of discontent on her face.

Kara frowned before she stated the obvious. "But without emotions, we lack understanding and empathy and the ability to adapt to the unforeseen."

That was one of the points that most Kryptonians missed in their point to be the stoic and unfeeling race who prided themselves on logic and let emotion falter. Despite the fact that without emotion they rarely understood each other and war occurred. This point drove Kara's mother mad when she was alive and it upset Kara more than a little bit. She was considered to be a bit of an oddball at her school, not accepting things as they were supposed to be.

Perhaps the planet blowing up was a blessing, well not in the sense of a blessing that it would lead to many innocent people dying. It would be a blessing in the sense that anyone who had the foresight to evacuate before it was too late. Yet, the Council continued to assure everyone that everything was going to be okay and there would be a tomorrow on Krypton.

"Kara, you are correct, but you know the stubbornness of Jor-El," Lara answered when she eyed the red sun. It was so peaceful and so beautiful but in the back of her mind Lara came to the realization that this would be the final time the red sun would set on the planet. In many ways, the sun would set on their world. "If his calculations are correct, Krypton will explode in one orbital cycle."

Kara grimaced at that thought, one orbital cycle and the entire planet went up in an explosion.

"My father I…."

"I managed to send him off so we could meet together without any interruptions, Jor-El is busy making the final preparations for the escape pod," Lara responded as she stroked her niece's hair fondly, a smile crossing over the bright features of the blonde woman. Zor-El went halfway across the planet, on the false message Lara sent about an associate finding a rare mineral. By the time he returned, Kara should be gone and Zor-El would be left behind as the planet died. "You must leave soon, so you can make it to Earth before Kal-El does."

Kara swallowed a lump in her throat. "Aunt Lara….there is plenty of room on my ship….we could…."

"Jor-El forbids it," Lara stated in a voice that dripped with disbelief and Kara understood it to mean that her aunt really disagreed with Jor-El. "And there is a concern that I may not be able to travel this soon after giving birth. Especially given that Kal-El was a high risk pregnancy…"

"I know," Kara responded, understanding the issues that her aunt went through with the birth of Kal-El and how much time she spent under the care of a healer.

"He really was my miracle baby," Lara remarked fondly but it was not the time nor the place to get sentimental. "His upbringing on Earth….the powers that he will have, they will be amazing but there is a chance….no I dare not speak it."

"What?" Kara asked her eyes bright and widened, grabbing her aunt around the hand.

"My husband understands many things but I have studied his notes and made some conclusions about the long term consequences of exposure of yellow solar radiation to Kryptonians," Lara answered her niece while the woman pulled the younger girl close so they could talk easily. "The consequences of his powers without the proper grounding, when Kal-El reaches his sixteenth or seventeenth birthday; he will have excess energy that he must work off. If it is not tempered, there will be serious neurological effects that could impair his development with his abilities and his own mental and emotional development."

Lara paused before she added.

"Then there is the change that all Kryptonian males go through during that age," Lara stated carefully. "Normally….if we survived, I would be there to help guide him through everything he needed to know."

Kara understood precisely what her aunt was talking about.

"Aunt Lara, I will do anything for Kal-El," Kara responded, putting her hand to chin and watched her aunt.

Lara pulled her into a crushing hug which Kara returned looking quite flushed but very pleased.

"Thank you Kara, I know that he'll be safe when you're watching over him on Earth, along with the Kents," Lara breathed, but there was a moment where the woman looked reflective. "I do not….I fear what might happen to him if he does not have the proper guidance and the assistance."

Kara understood what her aunt was going through, it was the fear that any mother would have while sending their son out into the under known. The teenage girl understood that because of this she had a huge amount of responsibility thrown upon her shoulders, more than should be given to any one person.

She was ready for it.

"I fear that allowing Jor-El free reign might lead to some disastrous consequences," Lara added carefully, biting down on her lip to the point where the woman nearly drew blood. "The last thing I wish is for my son to become some glorified Vulcan with more problems than an Arithmetic textbook."

Kara smiled; they got Earth television on Krypton, granted one had to work to get the signals aligned right. And Lara was obsessed with a certain show.

"Zod has fallen but he's left his mark," Lara responded, more to herself than to the girl beside her.

"His body destroyed, his spirit in the Phantom Zone," Kara said absent-mindedly but Lara clasped her niece's hand.

"And not before he corrupted the Brain Interactive Construct," Lara said with much remorse dripping from her voice when this particular statement was given. "It's a shame, I found her to be quite endearing and protective towards Krypton and its people. She would do anything to serve them but Zod corrupted her loyalty and turned the machine to be his puppet."

Kara understood what Lara was talking about, Brainiac was willing to learn from Krypton and their people but Zod corrupted her. She even downloaded her mind to a body and left the planet for a few years to live among the humans under the codename of Indigo for a short time. Kara got to know Indy a little bit when she returned, not well, but they got along well. And now Zod corrupted the programming to the point where it had an identity crisis and no sense of what the program used to be.

"But our time grows short," Lara added in a far off voice, before reaching into her pocket and handing a glowing blue crystal to Kara. "Take this."

"What is it?" Kara asked curiously, looking at the crystal.

"More insurance that Kal-El won't be alone and isolated," Lara stated in a calm voice, wishing she could explain the details of her plan more to Kara. "I have added something to the pod as well, a failsafe if you must call it that."

Kara nodded and smiled, sadly, realizing that this is the last sunset she would experience on Krypton. It was with a heavy heart she stood tall and proud and Lara placed a hand to the cheek of the blue eyed teenager, standing tall and confident.

"Your mother would be proud of you," Lara commented lightly to Kara and with that the woman brushed her niece's hair back and planted a light kiss on her forehead. "I know I am."

Kara looked pleased in spite the situation and offered a bright eyed expression towards her Aunt. "Thanks Aunt Lara."

"Time grows short, you must get on your ship, and I must oversee Kal-El's depature," Lara answered when she made sure the crystal was secure in Kara's hand. "Protect the crystal, as if it is an important as your life."

Lara paused before she added.

"Even if nothing compares to your life, remember that," Lara answered and Kara nodded, a smile crossing her face and a tear rolling down her cheek, thinking about all would be lost with Krypton.

There was no time to think about how everything could have gone wrong. Jor-El warned the Council since even before Kal-El was born that there were instabilities in the planet's core. Yet they denied his claims and spurned them as being inaccurate. Despite the fact that Kara clashed with her uncle on several matters, she saw his findings on the core and knew them to be accurate. Even her father agreed with them, which should have raised a red flag because Jor-El and Zor-El never agreed with each other.

Speaking of her father, Kara must depart before he returned. The blonde carefully edged herself towards the ship. It was with a heavy heart that she took this journey alone and the ship was built for two, maybe three occupants. Kara sighed, her father thought he meant well but his devotion in RAO's prophecy alarmed her.

The guidance controls were mostly manual; a toddler could operate this ship. Although as with all technology, there was a possibility and a probability for error.

And anything that could go wrong often did in the most inconvenient way possible. Kara, then eighteen years old, came out stasis in the summer of 2003, when a huge tremor rocked Smallville and broke her ship open.

* * *

Kara changed into a pair of Earth clothes that she liberated a short time ago. A tight blue blouse stretched over her chest, stretching up to show her midsection with the merest of motions, with a yellow diamond shape on it. A red skirt flipped in the breeze, wrapped snuggly around her legs to show her shapely legs and a pair of red high heel boots that topped off the outfit.

The blond also remembered that most humans took offense when people were not wearing the proper undergarments so she liberated a pair of those two. She did make sure to clean them first and a few other setbacks delayed her arrival until now. With a heavy heart, Kara approached the Kent Farm.

Her calculations projected Kal-El's ship to arrive somewhere in the autumn of 1989. Kara caught sight of the calendar and she was in the early summer of 2003.

'_I guess I might be a little late for dinner and meeting my cousin's adoptive parents,' _Kara thought when she tried to keep the mood light. Another grim thought crossed through her mind. _'Providing he hasn't been picked up by the government and dissected.'_

No, Kara refused to think that, no matter what. No matter how much it twisted her stomach, that was not a thought she considered to be applicable. Kal-El arrived without any problems, he had a happy childhood and hopefully the Kents helped him cope with his abilities when these powers manifested themselves.

She hovered above the ground; this was not a trip she could take until the evening. Kara got the impression that most people would freak out if they saw a flying girl in daylight. Even if the super speed made her a blur, Kara did not want to get noticed, not now.

The eighteen year old blonde hovered in the air, before dropping down in front of the mailbox with the words "Kent Farm" etched on it. Kara remembered it well, from her visit here with Lara all of those years ago. A teary eyed expression spread over the blonde's face when she edged towards the front door. The farm did not look as pristine as she remembered it and it was in disarray.

Remembering the crystal, Kara clutched it in her hands, along with the hard drive of her ship. Both of those elements should not fall into the wrong hands but other than the hard drive, the ship was useless scrap metal. The blonde carefully stepped towards the front door and raised a hand.

Then she paused and faltered.

After all of those years, what if the Kents never found Kal-El? Or worse found him and decided against taking him in? Kara shook her head; those thoughts of doubt were not healthy.

The blonde raised a hand and tapped gently on the door with her knuckles. Kara waited, listening for the progress of footsteps from the door. If no one was home, then so be it but it turned out there was someone present. The blonde watched through the glass window when a woman with red hair walked forward and opened the door up. She looked tired as if she went through a terrible ordeal as of late.

"Mrs. Kent?" Kara asked, questioning her.

"Yes," Martha Kent responded, seeing this blonde on her doorstep and wondering what this was all about.

"I'm here to talk to you about your son," Kara stated, jumping right to the point.

Martha eyed the girl for a moment and raised an eyebrow. This line of inquiry caught the woman off guard and left her flummoxed. She blinked and stood up straight like it did not. "My son?"

Kara's dread increased by approximately three hundred percent and the knot tightened in her stomach.

Martha wondered why this girl looked like she was about ready to become ill on the carpet but as it turned out she asked a question before Martha had a chance to.

"Yes your son….you found him….didn't you?" Kara asked when she tried to lead Martha on to make sure the older woman knew what Kara was talking about and did not think of her as a raving lunatic. "Adopted him."

"Yes we have an adoptive son," Martha responded carefully but it did hurt to think about Clark, given he ran off after what happened with the ship.

After losing the baby, Martha felt that this was the worst week in her life.

"He's gone."

"He died!" Kara yelled, when she jumped up, eyes flashing in alarm and the feeling of failure erupted in her.

Martha wondered why she had such a negative reaction. "No, no he's not dead…."

The woman shivered when she thought about that; that was really something that could make this entire situation far worse than it was.

"I know you found him in a field," Kara whispered to Martha and this caused Martha to step back in alarm.

Martha feared the absolute worst, this woman, was some kind of government agent and potentially found out that her son was an extra-terrestrial.

"His birth name is Kal-El," Kara answered when she eyed Martha, watching for a reaction.

"You're….you've got the wrong house," Martha responded in a frantic voice, shaking when she watched this young girl frown at her.

Kara knew this was the right house; this was one thing she was not mistaken about. She been here with her aunt so the blonde knew and was not fooled by this hastily put together lie for a moment.

"Martha what's going on?"

Jonathan Kent heard the voices and after everything that happened, he was on the edge. In hindsight, while he was upset with Clark, he should not have yelled at him and drove him off. Chalk one up for the notorious Kent temper he guessed.

He saw this young girl standing on the doorstep. He blinked, surprised, before the obvious question was spit out. "Who are you?

Kara smiled, a pained smile, realizing how bad her arrive looked and tried to pacify it.

"Mr. Kent, it is an honor to meet you," Kara responded by shaking his hand. She tried not to grip him too firmly, given that humans were kind of fragile in that way. Still Kara's grip remained strong around his hand. "My name is Kara."

Jonathan remained cordial even though he was still suspicious. "Hello, Kara. What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for your son," Kara answered immediately.

"What does Clark have to do with anything?" Jonathan asked when he looked at Kara. She fixed an unblinking gaze on him and the farmer felt like he was being X-Rayed. "And….we don't know where he is."

Kara flicked her eyes towards Jonathan before nodding her head towards him.

"You don't know where your son is?" Kara demanded, not bothering to keep the accusation out of her voice.

Jonathan was about to go on the defensive but Martha cut him off before he could put his foot in his mouth.

"Is he in any danger?" Martha asked, nervously swallowing with her eyes widening.

"The red rock," Jonathan muttered out of the side of his mouth even though Kara could hear him with razor sharp hearing.

Martha understood immediately, it put everything in a certain amount of perspective and the woman looked fretful.

"Look, whatever it is, there's some kind of misunderstanding regarding Clark," Martha stated, almost pleading.

Now it was Kara's turn to be confused. "Mrs. Kent, I don't know what happened, but I'd like to. I'm just here to find him, find Clark, find Kal-El."

Jonathan went pale at the sound of that name and his gaze turned to Kara. "Kal-El?"

"Jonathan, I think she knows about Clark," Martha answered to her husband slowly and Jonathan backed off, wondering how he was going to deal with this.

"I know about him," Kara added when her eyes fixed upon them. "Why did he run off?"

Jonathan thought about it for a brief second and decided to give a version of the truth. "He met his….biological father."

That was news that displeased Kara greatly and her blood pressure spiked a tiny bit.

"Oh great Rao, no," Kara breathed, fearing the absolute worst.

"And his father….gave him the impression that he was here to take over the world," Martha picked up, feeling a bit nerve racked when she watched Kara. The blonde remained calm and Martha struggled to spit the next bit. "And Clark….tried to destroy the ship and….it didn't end well."

"How didn't it end well?" Kara asked, but when she spotted both Kents become uncomfortable, she shifted in guilt. Perhaps she brought up something painful with them, that they did not want to bring up.

"The tremors caused our truck to flip over," Jonathan responded, looking much older than he really was when he said this. "And Martha….she was pregnant and she lost the baby."

Kara bit down on her lip.

"I'm sorry," Kara breathed when she looked at Martha who nodded.

No mother would ever get over a loss like that but Martha was coping, as well as could be expected.

"And he put on a red meteor rock it…."

"Removes his inhibitions and causes him not to think straight," Kara responded firmly, remembering her mother's notes about certain parts of the irradiated core and what different colors met. Given the biological changes Clark would be due for; this could prove to have long term consequences. Kara hoped that this was Clark's first time being in contact with the red rock, because it would be trickier if it wasn't. "I have to find him."

"Why do you have to find him?" Jonathan asked Kara, grabbing her by the sleeve gently and holding her back.

Kara bit down on her lip and calmed down before responding, "Because…I'm the only one who has the strength to stop him before he does something that he regrets or exposes himself to the wider world."

"Why would you…."

"I'm Kal-El's cousin from Krypton," Kara spat out.

There was silence and Martha and Jonathan eyed each other.

"That explains a lot," Jonathan responded after letting out a whistle.

"When did you arrive here?" Martha asked Kara gently.

"I was supposed to arrive when Kal-El did, but my ship was delayed and I crashed into the dam outside of the town," Kara answered, eyes widened. Her ship was still there but useless without the hard drive that she had in her carry-on bag. "The tremors loosened my ship enough where I was able to swim out."

Kara declined to mention she almost drowned due to the fact that the green meteors at the bottom of the lake weakened her.

"Clark, nice name," Kara remarked in a conversational voice. Of course, she kind of liked Kal-El better, mostly because she picked it out. Still Clark was nice.

"Thanks," Martha responded, not really knowing much more to say.

"He's sixteen, seventeen about now," Kara prodded them, getting the sense that the Kents had a sense of stability in their relationship, which made her feel a lot easier about the type of house that Kal-El, Clark, was raised in.

"Yes, very nearly seventeen," Martha answered and Kara let out the breath she was holding.

"I might not be too late then," Kara remarked to herself before turning around and looking into the sky. There was nothing there, not a bird, not even a plane.

"Too late for what?" Jonathan asked, nervously tapping his foot on the floor.

"No time to explain now but Kryptonians have different biology than humans in many ways and a different culture, and when adding in the powers by the yellow sun…well Clark's going through a difficult stage now," Kara responded without missing a beat and the Kents exchanged a nervous expression.

She had no time to go into details, because it involved speaking about things that were considered to be taboo and wrong by most humans. The biological ramifications were not present in Kryptonians or other alien races as there were with humans. Humans would eventually evolve in a few thousand years to the point where they would not have to worry about them as well.

Providing they lived that long but Kara could not think about that. She knew what she had to do now.

"It's time I had a chat with my uncle," Kara remarked before she watched both the Kents with a bright smile. "I promise, I'll bring your son back safe and sound."

Kara sped off leaving the Kents to ponder the girl's intentions. They were caught so off guard by the news of her identity that Jonathan and Martha did not question it at first.

"Do you think we can trust her intentions, Jonathan?" Martha asked when her eyes closed and wondered if they made a bad judgment call.

"She might be the only one who could bring Clark back without hurting herself in the process," Jonathan responded after a moment.

All they could do was wait and hope for the best.

* * *

Kara arrived outside of the Kawatche Caves, determination flooding her eyes when the blonde dropped down into the cave. There was no one here and the blonde watched everything around her, before the cave lit up. She sensed what went on around her.

"I know you're here Jor-El," Kara responded in a crisp voice, the wind through the cave causing her hair to whip back and forth. "Do not deny the fact you are."

"You weren't part of the plan Kara," Jor-El stated in a cold and unemotional voice.

"Yeah, nice to see you too," Kara snapped sarcastically when her eyes flared with anger. "It's because of you that Kal-El has run off to Rao only knows where."

"Kal-El will learn to obey me and will fulfill his destiny."

Kara smiled knowingly. "The thing about destiny is that they can change in a heartbeat."

She paused before adding one more phrase.

"Including yours."

Kara held the crystal and moved towards the cave slot.

"Kara I demand you do not take this step. Kal-El must obey what I tell him, it is for the greater g…"

Kara cut him off. "Your visitation rights have been revoked."

Jor-El was put dormant when Kara inserted the crystal into the cave wall slot.

"Kara," the voice of Lara stated sleepily.

"Hello Aunt Lara, nice to hear your voice again," Kara responded, before she jumped into it. "We have a problem. The Kents informed me that Kal-El has been indulging in red meteor rocks."

"Yes, this is a problem," Lara agreed, dread dripping from her voice. "You know what to do."

"Yes, I do," Kara said with a nod.

"I will be able to guide both of you, now Jor-El has gone dormant and I now have learned of his plans for the future involving Kal-El," Lara informed her and the teenage Kryptonian nodded. "But find him and bring him home safely first."

Kara went to leave but Lara stopped her.

"Be careful, sweetie, you're just as susceptible to the red rocks as he is, should you come into contact with them," Lara warned her and Kara nodded.

"I will."

She sped off, determined and ready.

**To Be Continued in the Next Chapter. **

_So the poll that I mentioned at the beginning. I kind of had this up last night but I've took it down because I want to limit the girls to make it a tighter group. Or maybe do straight Clark/Kara. (Or Clara if we're doing the mashed up ship name thingy.) _

_1) So Straight Clara or Trinity with a second girl but no more or Harem with three to five additional girls other than Kara?_

_2) If Harem, Three to Five Extra Girls? Six (Kara+Five Others), is the most that I want to go with for this story._

_3) List of Potential Girls If Trinity or Harem is Chosen: Chloe, Lana, Alicia, Raya, Lois, Tess, Zatanna, Wonder Woman, Power Girl, Maxima, Barbara Gordon, Patricia Swann, Indigo, Faora, Alia, Vala, Saturn Girl. _

_Next Chapter will be posted next week sometime to give people time to weigh their options in. _


	2. Chapter One: Finding Kal

_**So thanks to everyone who has voted so far. I thought about it and am deciding to leave the voting open for a couple more chapters, because it's rather close in some instances. And a couple are shoo-ins likely. I don't want to sway the votes, so I won't say whom. Regardless, we will be sticking with Kara/Clark for a fair bit, with other girls trickling in slowly later on. Won't say when another girl will be added, because that'd be kind of spoiling the surprise. Details in the previous chapter, for that.**_

**Chapter One: Finding Kal**

Kara understood that the more she let Kal-El (or Clark as she reminded herself he was called on Earth), go unchecked, the more danger he could be in. His powers were exposed and if the wrong person came across him while his inhibitions were out of whack, it could be bad news. The blonde edged forward, mentally checking all of the things that she had to do. It had been a few hours since she left Smallville and already she managed to make a fair deal of progress, even if that progress did not mean she caught up to Kal-El right yet.

The first thing on her list was obtaining identification. As much Kara loathed to admit this, she had to rely on some pretty seedy parties to acquire identification but she reasoned that if would be temporary at best, just something to get her into places for a few nights, maybe a week or two. Then she could worry about obtaining something that was more long term and legal. The blonde recalled how she did that.

It was a simple elementary trick to obtain the funds to get said identification. All she needed was a simple chunk of coal and with a crush of her hand; she forged a pretty good counterfeit diamond which was essentially real as far as a human eye could tell. Kara thought she had an eye for these things. Regardless, the person she sold the diamond to, they were not the brightest bulb in the box to begin with.

The blonde edged forward, thinking about the money she obtained, some of it still left over, although she only knew the basics about human currency, she supposed that it would be enough. It took some creativity but Kara managed to use the diamond she made to get her funds and also a few essentials for the trip.

Kara worked quickly but she had to make sure that no one followed her. Looking up at the display clock, the blonde saw that it was slightly past eleven o'clock at night, maybe later. She wondered if her cousin was out and about or not. This was a situation that she pondered rather carefully.

Given the Red Meteor rocks, he was out on the town, likely indulging himself in vices that he likely would never had have the nerve on. The rocks brought the deepest desires to life, removing the inhibitions. Essentially it was the open window to do the things that they never would have had the guts to do otherwise.

Kara edged closer; she was now dressed in a tight red dress that showed her curves and long shapely legs. The material was a bit too tight on her to be considered to be acceptable, but Kara was not concerned with modesty.

'_Going to need every weapon I need,' _Kara thought to herself, when she made her step forward, in discomfort. _'And how do humans walk in heels?'_

Kara thought about flying the rest of the way, but she stopped, shivers going down her spine when she heard the voices. Her enhanced hearing could pick up anything, which was not good.

"Yeah that Kal, he's a real wild man, he's been here with a different girl every night."

"So did he tap any of them?"

'I'm sure he did, I mean he's bad to the bone. He doesn't take any of their shit, likely sends them packing after he's had his fun."

"I wonder what his secret is."

"Dude's loaded, probably."

Kara listened to the conversation a few more seconds before she edged forward, to make her move. Dare she hope? The blonde edged her way towards the club, feeling that if this Kal and her cousin was one in the same, then she could figure out how to deal with this situation. If not, well she would move on and keep searching.

Pushing open the door, the blonde edged inside, hearing the sounds of the music blaring in her ears. She took a moment to adjust for the constant bombardment of music and conversations. It took the blonde a few moments to adjust herself and rubbed her ear, trying to edge forward to find him. She hovered a few inches off the ground and craned her neck to get a better look.

"Another one on the house, Kal?"

Kara smiled despite herself, careful not to bump into anyone. She awkwardly maneuvered herself in the heels, before walking forward through the club, ignoring the stares she was getting. She blew her hair out of her face, when she spotted him at the end of the bar. The blonde carefully made her way toward and caught a glimpse of him from the end of the bar.

She saw him from the background, dressed in a leather jacket, a white top, and tight jeans, with boots and his hair slicked a little bit, piercing eyes staring forward at anyone with her line of sight. The blonde's smile got wider; this had to be her cousin. He was nearly a spitting image of Jor-El was, at least in the memory images she saw, from around that age. The blonde carefully stepped forward, observing him closer. She saw the tiny bits of Lara in his face, subtle enough, but it was there.

His posture resembled his mother's in many ways, with the blonde taking a moment to observe him from the edge of the bar.

"So, you're the famous Kal?"

Kara watched with a frown when he saw a dark haired woman dressed in a dress that was even tighter than the one she was wearing. She wore makeup caked her face, to the point where it was almost outlandish. The blonde watched his companion carefully and took a moment to observe them from the background, putting her back against the wall.

"Maybe, who wants to know?"

Kara frowned and bit her lip, her fists balling together rather tightly. A tart like that was beneath her cousin, especially with what he was capable of. She wasn't even anywhere near Kal's league, no question about it, not even close.

The blonde felt flushed when it registered how particularly potent that particular red rock was, it caused her to become light headed a little bit, even from this far back. Kara shook her head, trying to clear herself. Given that this was her first exposure, it took a bit longer to take effect, so she might have several more minutes before she succumbed to the pull of the rock. Keeping a distance allowed her to stave off the effects longer.

"So, how about it Kal, are you feeling daring?" the woman in the bar asked and Kara stepped forward a little bit, closer.

"Believe me, I'm feeling very daring," Kal answered, his eyes swimming forward with lust and he grabbed her roughly, perhaps a little bit too roughly because he squeezed her wrist, bruising it.

She yelped and slapped him across the face.

"Hey, watch it, you klutz."

"Oh, I see, you're like the rest of them, can't handle me, can you?" Kal asked with a smug smile on his face. "Well they're lining up around the block."

The woman rubbed her wrist before she stormed off.

Kara made her move, edging closer to him. She would be face to face with her cousin for the first time since he was a baby but she was never one to shy away from the unexpected.

Feeling absolutely daring, Kara took the plunge.

* * *

Kal sat at the edge of the bar, sure enough another one walked away but that was alright, women threw themselves at him as they had for the past few days and as he expected they would forever. He walked her walked away and scoped out the bar, the night was still young.

"Charge me another one, bartender," Kal responded, even if the drink barely gave him a buzz and it was the strongest they had on the house. The truth was it was to maintain appearances, of a hot single guy who was going clubbing. Then maybe he was done, he'd go out on the streets, bust a few heads, work out some of the aggressive feelings that had been spurned from the red rock.

The night was still young and so was Kal. The red rock clung to him like a security blanket, something that he did not want to relinquish any time soon. His eyes narrowed with delight and quite frankly desire. He felt his heart speed up, mostly a flutter, when he thought of the events of the past few days.

By some miracle, the connection he had with his birth father, the bastard that he was, was lost. That caused him a small amount of confusion but Kal was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He was going to take advantage of this opportunity but the thoughts were broken when he noticed that someone sat across on the now vacant seat beside him.

Kal's eyes flickered over towards her, the blonde hair that framed her face, revealing the angelic beauty that few girls he ever ran across could ever match. Her dazzling blue eyes watched him, with a smile on her rosy red lips. His eyes traveled to her cleavage, not so much to be overly slutty but enough to give him a tantalizing hint of what lied underneath. The material stretched over her developed chest, and showed the outline of her mouth-watering curves.

He moved down, seeing the red dress that she wore end just at her thighs, perhaps a few inches shorter than would be considered modest. Not that Kal minded obviously, because that showed more of her gorgeous legs, shapely and tanned, beautiful stems that caused him to forget himself for a moment. He saw her high heels dangling from her feet, which were quite lovely and perfectly shaped as well. It was funny that Kal never really paid attention to female feet before but now he was paying attention to them now.

"So, hot night isn't it?" the blonde stated conversationally, when she kicked her shoe off of her feet slightly and dangled it up and down on her feet, her legs crossed, one over the other, when she did this. Slowly, she dangled her shoe from her foot, keeping her legs crossed when she did it.

"Oh, I think it might be," Kal answered when he watched her, slowly trail her tongue off of her red lips, succulent, kissable, taunting him in his face. "What is your name?"

The blonde wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, before she leaned forward.

"Kara," the blonde responded with a low and seductive purr in his ear.

Kal felt a certain part of his anatomy take notice but he kept himself in check. He placed a pair of hands on her legs, perhaps a bit more roughly than he would have before he responded. "Kal."

"I know, Kal, your reputation follows you everywhere," Kara responded when she shifted on the chair and her dazzling eyes kept on his face. "I'm new to town and I heard you could potentially help a girl find her way around."

"Well, I'm certain, I'll be able to help you out, little lady," Kal answered in a really bad Southern accent.

"Corny, but cute," Kara admitted, when she watched him, carefully.

Her heart beat against her chest, thump, thump, thump, and she felt the red rock, it's pull, it's dancing taunting pull inflamed her mind and ensnared her, amplifying her already super powered teenage hormones. Kara tried to fight off the pull that she felt towards it but it was hard to do so, and despite the fact she prided herself to be a person of great will power, such a thing was much easier said than done. The blonde kept herself focused on the task at hand and the rock at mind.

"So, the mysterious Kal….a man of many talents?" Kara asked, ignoring the drying of her throat when she felt a desire to slam him up against the bar and rip his clothes off, before taking him right here, witnesses be damned.

She was stronger than this rock, the rock was not her master, she mastered the rock. Her heart drummed a heavy beat against her chest, as a hazy fog swirled through her mind.

"Many talents, but who knows, you might stick around to sample a couple of them," Kal breathed when he edged his hand down her thigh, feeling her creamy flesh beneath his palms. It was so soft to the touch but yet so firm. He inhaled her aroma with his super senses and stopped.

It was rather familiar and Kal could not shake the feeling that there was something a bit different about this girl as opposed to others he met. That gave him the reason to keep her around, no matter what. He watched her breath, her chest inhale and exhale, the tight material of the dress expanding against her chest.

"Are you alright?" Kal asked in a casual tone of voice, when he held his hands carefully on his thighs but much to his surprise and also pleasure; Kara placed her hands on his waist.

The two faced each other, going almost nose to nose, pressed against each other.

"Yeah, fine, more than fine in fact," Kara panted when she felt her body heat up with the potential pleasure.

The warmth that spread through her body, from the tips of her ears, down her body, between her legs especially, down her toes, it was something that she did not quite have a chance to feel. The red Kryptonite amplified a minor attraction that she would have had towards her cousin into full blown desire.

Kara frowned, why were her eyes feeling like they were on fire?

"Close your eyes," Kal whispered to her and Kara, surprised, did so. "Take a deep breath, calm down, cool down."

Somehow despite his inhibitions being lost, Kal knew enough to recognize a very obvious warning sign and he spotted it, despite her attempt to hide it. Heat vision was about ready to erupt from her eyes and potentially cause a panic, if it lit something on fire in this bar.

Kal edged forward, even closer and Kara's heart fluttered, his scent picked up in her nostrils. The rock was closer to her yet and she tried to summon up the will power to snatch it away, while she had a chance. Before she completely succumbed to the powers and her fingers twitched a little bit, trying to push herself to snatch it away and toss it.

"Now when you say you're not from around here, you're really not from around here, are you?" Kal asked when he breathed in her ear. "It's okay, you can tell me."

Kal moved his hands around, so they brushed against her back and the touch caused Kara's mind to flicker into going haywire. The blonde knew that she would be in a situation like this with her cousin, potentially, but with the red rock, things were getting so heated that they nearly scorched her.

"I'm….I'm a visitor," Kara breathed, feeling her desire increase a hundred fold. Her loins burned with a certain desire but she closed her eyes and mentally counted to ten, before drawing in a breath. In this breath, she caught his scent and may have inhaled microscopic red rock dust particles, which did not help her situation at all. "I'm from a planet known as Krypton, just like you are."

Kal was caught off guard. "You act like you know me."

"Yes, Kal-El, I do, but we can't talk about it now, too many people here," Kara managed, lip trembling but she tried to keep her hands still and steady. "We should be able to talk about it, in private, between the two of us."

Kal raised an eyebrow, he was ecstatic but somehow there was enough sense in his mind to suspect that something was up. Of course, if this was a hot girl with the same powers that he had, he would be able to have some real fun.

"Clark is that you?"

* * *

Chloe Sullivan entered the club, potentially on a whim, but to be honest, her curiosity spiked a few degrees when she heard about this mysterious handsome stranger known as Kal. She arrived in Metropolis and the whispers caught her attention. Now a small part of her told her that she likely should not pry into matters. Clark skipped town for reasons that Chloe fathom properly now.

Now Chloe watched, trying to figure out whether or not to step forward and say something. That was most certainly Clark, although he was packing a major attitude. Come to think about that, this was the second time that Chloe saw Clark pack a similar attitude. The blonde carefully moved forward, taking a few steps when she watched him.

Once was something that could be chalked up to a random fluke, some kind of random weird quirk of time and space, a one in a million cosmic occurrence. But twice, no Chloe suspected that something was up, the question was what? Chloe would find out and she stepped forward a little bit closer. A little bit closer and Chloe made her move, gauging this situation from afar.

That was most certainly Clark, although he was with a fairly attractive blonde that Chloe never saw in her life. The tiny blonde eyed the situation with a critical and appraising eye, they looked to be rather cozy with each other and that made her all the more curious. She stepped forward and decided to ask the most logical and kind of blunt question she could think of.

"Clark, is that you?"

Clark and the blonde spun around and her best friend raised an eyebrow, watching Chloe.

"Last time I checked," Clark responded when he watched Chloe, a grin crossing his face but he shrugged his shoulders. "So did my parents send you to track me down?"

Chloe shifted a bit, she knew what this accusation implied and it did hurt for her to be on the receiving end of it but she recovered rather quickly and adjusted her expression, snapping towards Clark a bit with a frown. "No…they didn't send me here at all. I'm here on my own accord. I was worried…."

"You don't need to worry, Chloe, I'm fine," Clark responded before he placed his arm around the blonde who sat beside him. A wide grin spread across his face, showing all of his teeth and that was the type of smile that caused girl's minds to go haywire. "In fact, I'm better than fine."

Chloe frowned, when she watched him. "Yeah, I can see that."

The blonde frowned, before she turned to Clark. Another person being here could complicate things.

"Maybe I should talk to her," she whispered to Clark and Clark eyed, before giving the blonde a shrug, as if to say "be my guest."

The blonde approached Chloe and Chloe took a step back. The fact that this blonde was a few inches taller that Chloe weighed on her.

"I didn't come here for…."

"Relax, I'm not going to beat you up for moving on K…Clark," the blonde responded when she eyed the other blonde. "Chloe, isn't it?"

Chloe responded with a slight nod, watching the other blonde with trepidation.

"My name's Kara, nice to meet you," Kara responded when she watched Chloe, trying to gauge how she fit into this equation.

"Likewise," Chloe answered, her jaw set when she eyed this blonde, trying to figure out how she fit in the puzzle that was the life of Clark Kent. "So did you just meet Clark?"

"I've actually been looking him up for a while, my mother knew his," Kara responded carefully watching Chloe. It would not be prudent to tell this girl a version of the truth until she could properly gauge how much she knew about Clark.

Chloe frowned before she eyed Kara and responded. "So by mother you mean…."

"Birth mother," Kara added and Chloe's mouth widened a little bit in surprised.

Now she did not know what to believe, although it remained to be seen whether or not this girl was telling the truth. Chloe felt a few doubts but she wondered exactly why they were placed in the back of her head.

"Clark never knew either of his real parents," Chloe whispered and Kara nodded.

"I know, they died shortly after he was born," Kara answered and Chloe should have known this to be the case but she still felt a twinge of guilt.

"And your mother…."

"Died when I was eight years old, my father died a few months ago," Kara commented, trying to be friendly, even if she was a bit annoyed about being questioned. "I know Clark's….Clark's going through a difficult stage, but it's nothing that I can't handle."

"Why is it down to you to handle it?" Chloe wondered but the taller blonde's eyes flashed towards her and for a brief moment, Chloe felt like she was being X-Rayed. It kind of felt uncomfortable, just a tiny bit.

"We come from the same place," Kara answered quietly, folding her arms, and watching Chloe. "I've just been by to see the Kents…before I came here."

Chloe nodded. "They must be worried…"

"They are but I promised that I'd bring Clark home," Kara answered before she mentally added one thing.

'_I just didn't say when,' _Kara mentally added to herself.

"Please do me a favor," Kara answered and Chloe paused when the taller blonde watched her, eyes locked onto hers. "Make sure you tell the Kents that I've found him, and he's alright."

Chloe nodded slowly.

"Thank you," Kara responded, still feeling the residual effects of the Red Kryptonite and she thought that this girl, being as loyal as she seemed to Clark, would be someone worthy of keeping around. "But please don't tell them that you found Clark here, okay. It might complicate things a little bit."

Chloe opened her mouth to protest but Kara cut her off.

"I don't want to people to get hurt."

Confusion reigned on Chloe's face, that was proof that she was not privy to the secret of Clark Kent. Although if Chloe suspected something, Kara did not know.

"Please."

Chloe hesitated and Kara looked over her shoulder, where Clark still sat, although he was restless.

"Please, for Clark's sake,' Kara breathed, putting her hand on Chloe's cheek and feeling the soft flesh underneath it.

Chloe was taken off guard by having her personal space occupied by this girl but nodded her head and managed to get a sense that words were necessary to communicate.

"I'll…yeah I'll do it," Chloe stammered before she walked off.

"Are you sure?" Kara asked in a sweet voice.

"Yeah, positive," Chloe responded, looking at the girl before her.

Kara scanned Chloe and nodded, before offering her to get off. Some rather debauched thoughts filled Kara's head regarding Chloe but she shook her head. The Red Meteor Rock was messing with her mind and she realized that getting it away from Kal was priority one.

"I talked to her, I gave her a story," Kara whispered to Kal who nodded.

"So, do you want a private room?" Kal asked Kara and a smile crossed her face, before she leaned forward and placed a hand on his cheek.

"Yes, and one that we can't be bothered in."

"That can be arranged," Kal responded before he spun around to do the deed.

* * *

"So, you're another survivor of Krypton?"

Kara nodded her head, feeling this up close to him with the rock stripped away more and more of her inhibitions. Plus there was a feeling of daring that was barely suppressed, the desire to do things that Zor-El never would have condoned. She was supposed to be his perfect little virgin princess, a dutiful little soldier to serve him and his ideals without question, without question. Kara felt her stomach turn at the very thought of that.

That was not her at all.

"Yes, you can touch me, and I won't break," Kara breathed, realizing what she implied but the blonde's gaze was fearless and this caused a grin to spread over Kal's face.

"So you have the same strengths and the same weaknesses," Kal offered but Kara offered him a knowing smile. "That red rock, it's causing you….you feel funny, don't you?"

"I feel…daring," Kara corrected him, an expression of desire flickering through her blue eyes, dancing through them. "And the more you try to hold back, you try to fight it, the more it grabs ahold of you, doesn't it?"

Kal thought she hit the nail on the head, extremely beautiful and extremely intelligent, he thought that was a winning combination. A smile crossed his face when he considered the blonde before him, the fabric fit against her like a second skin, and he could see the outline of her breasts without his X-Ray vision.

"Maybe we shouldn't fight it?"

Kal edged closer to Kara and threw his arms around her lithe waste, causing her to give a shiver of surprise.

"Maybe we shouldn't….maybe we shouldn't suppress what feels right."

Kara nodded, numb when she thought about it and his hands slowly roamed around her body, teasing her curves, slowly causing her body to be ensnared, her senses betraying her.

It was do or die, now or never, and Clark Kent, Kal-El, Kal, it didn't matter who he was now. All that mattered was that he pressed his lips upon her extremely kissable ones and that's what he did. Kal leaned forward, capturing her mouth in an extremely fiery kiss. Kara returned the kiss with equal hunger and desire, working her tongue into his mouth, wrapping her arms around him, along with her legs, and snaking her body around his.

The two felt their bodies heat up and heat vision nearly rise to their eyes with the fire and the passion of the kiss. Somehow, they managed to suppress the heat vision, but their mutual desires continued to hit each other with the full force of a train when the kiss got more daring, their tongues clashing together for dominance. The red rock between them amplified their desires and inflamed them to the point where they were slaves for their extremely powerful super powered hormones.

Kara backed into the wall and Kal continued the kiss, his crotch pressed against her mound, and he slid down her. She returned his motions, grinding back against him. Her legs tightened around him and their clothes were the only barrier for doing the age old universal dance.

The two broke apart, flushed.

"Kal, I need to tell you something," Kara panted heavily, but she had a goofy grin on her face after the best kiss she ever received in her life. Not that she received many kisses before that but the point still could, his lips on hers were amazing.

"Anything Kara, tell me anything, and I'll give you the world," Kal panted, wanting to tear her out of that dress and have her in an extremely carnal way.

Kara decided to drop the bombshell.

"Your father Jor-El and mine, Zor-El, they were brothers. My birth name is Kara Zor-El."

Kal watched her for a moment, with a raised eyebrow, before he stated the obvious. "So we're cousins?"

"Last time I checked," Kara answered with a shrug but he watched her and attacked her mouth with a second kiss.

The rock pressed between them, when Kara smashed against the wall, but he had his fun; now it was time for Kara to have hers. She pulled Kal's arms away from him and pushed him back, until he was on the bed in their little private room. He was completely at her mercy and Kara felt she could do anything that she wanted to him.

Kara straddled Kal and leaned down, before capturing his lips into another fiery kiss. The two of them continued the Red Kryptonite enhanced adventures of lust.

In the back of Kal's mind, he realized thinking of his cousin in such a way and wanting to do the things that he wanted to do with her was wrong. A firmer voice told him to shut up and go with it, because she was so hot and their culture was likely different anyway, so it wasn't as taboo. And even if it was, it still excited him to do something that mild mannered Clark Kent would never have the guts to do. He could not believe how Kara radiated sex and most importantly she could handle anything that he could dish out.

He was tired of being a boy scout doing the right thing; it was time to have fun. Time to do things that he would be afraid to do, but that red rock opened the doors that he previously held shut out of holding himself back. Kal realized that without the rock, he still might be attracted to her but he would stop cold because of the simple fact that he would be hung up on the fact that she was his cousin.

Hung up on some silly human inhibition, about a taboo.

And her lips were on his neck, sucking on it, teasing his flesh. Kal imagined those lips wrapped around another part of his body and the thought caused his pants to become uncomfortable and tight.

"I need you," Kal growled when he held Kara into him tightly. "I don't care if you're my cousin, you're so fucking hot that I need to hold you down and screw your brains out."

Language passed his lips that never would have even escaped the lips of mild mannered Clark Kent.

Kara grinned lustfully, before turning over, flashing her panties at him when she did and that inflamed his desires. "Catch me, Kal."

Kal watched her, confused so Kara decided to elaborate. "Race me, across town and back, and the winner does what they want to the loser."

Kara offered a smile before she added.

"Unless you're not man enough to handle a real woman and want to deal with these little human girls?"

Kal offered a naughty grin, when he undressed her with his eyes. And soon he would be undressing her with his hands.

"You'll be eating those words," Kal answered before he watched Kara. "Along with other things."

"Promises, promises," Kara stated when she flickered her tongue tauntingly at him and teased pulling down the front of her dress, but stopped short of doing so. "Three, two, one, go!"

Kara sped out the door and Kal followed her, both blasting down the street faster than a speeding bullet.

* * *

One bright blur shot down the streets of Metropolis like a cork, followed by a second blur. Anyone who stood in the direction of the two blurs, they would have thought they were just a huge gust of wind from a truck blowing down the adjacent end of the street. However, the two racing each other knew the absolute truth.

"Come on, Kal, can't you catch one girl?"

Kal pushed himself to his limits, following her down the street, when she sped up her movements. It was almost taunting him with how fast she was going but he picked up the pace a little bit more, pushing himself to limits he never had before. He thought he was rather fast but she was faster and he could have sworn that she was floating off the ground as well.

She was getting higher.

And higher, to the point where the blur was above his head.

"I didn't know….wait a minute you can fly?" Kal asked when he slowed down but only a moment.

"You've almost lost, poor you," Kara stated when she stopped in mid air for a second, batted her eyelashes, stuck out her tongue, and spun around, with her hands on her hips. "I thought you were supposed to be made of steel, not of lead."

"Just wait," Kal grunted when he picked up the pace and tried to leap into the air to reach her.

"So close," Kara teased him when she watched over her shoulder, before she flew through the water of a fountain that was set up.

She slowly pivoted in the air, slowly turned around. Kal watched, his eyes on her, the red fabric melted around her breasts, tightly wrapped around her. He could see through it, without his X-Ray vision.

"We're almost there, you're going to lose?" Kara whispered to him, when she turned around and saw her ass sway in the air at super speed. "Unless you like being behind me."

Kal grinned, when he got the double meaning of that. The inhibitions of mild mannered Clark Kent flew out the window completely. He picked up the pace and moved her, closer and closer.

His hands were nearly on her, he could catch her. He almost took flight, but the lack of blood rushing to his head caused him to sway a little bit and he nearly lost his balance. Faster than a speeding bullet Kal went but he was damn sure that he was not going to be that fast when it counted.

The two made it to their starting point, with the door swinging open. They were almost shoulder to shoulder with each other, with the private room near them.

"Looks like I won…."

Kara's words were caught up, when Kal scooped her into his arms, and tossed her down onto the bed in their private little suite. He was so forceful, that it caused her to get so wet. She bit down on her lip excitedly when he hovered over her on the bed. Kal's hands pinned down on her wrists and he carefully watched her, grinning a little bit when he watched her.

Her heart beat against her chest, thumping.

"Looks like you did win," Kal told her, watching her body cling to the now wet fabric and he grabbed the shoulder strap of it, slowly pealing it off of her. "It'd be a shame if you caught a cold in those wet clothes."

Kal peeled the dress off of her, showing more and more flesh. It was better than unwrapping a present on Christmas morning and it would be something that he would use more than a few times, that much was for sure. He revealed her flesh, inch by inch. Her sexy face and dazzling blue eyes, along with her honey golden blonde hair started the found. Soft, extremely kissable lips and her slender, elegant neck were next.

The tops of her breasts perked out next, and he could see her impressive cleavage dancing before him, dazzling his eyes. He worked more of the material down her and unhooked her bra, after a little fumbling, revealing the flesh globes, they were high and firm, not to mention a good size. He could not wait to give them a good squeeze and maybe do more with them. He revealed more flesh than ever before, her sexy belly button was next on display and God, she had a cute little toned tummy, taut and extremely well-defined. It was well define and Kal put a finger in her belly button, teasing her.

Kara whimpered, great Rao, that was a sensitive spot for her and she felt more of the lust wash over her, that was not completely from that little red rock. She would desire him even without the rock although she figured he might not be that daring and would suppress his desires.

"I'd bet you'd like your prize, now," Kal stated when he looked at her nubile body, and pulled down her dress, revealing her smooth thighs, shapely hips, and long legs, every inch of her lovely. The only barrier that remained on her body was a pair of lacy black panties.

That were soaked and clung to her skin. Kal inhaled the aroma coming between her thighs and it smelled better than fresh baked apple pie. It smelled better than anything and he wanted her, so badly.

"Indulge me, Kal-El," Kara breathed, wanting him to pleasure her so badly, she could hardly stand it.

The final barrier between the two of them was stripped off and it revealed paradise underneath.

**Lemon Content Begins. **

-Scene to be found in link in profile-

**Lemon Ends.**

Clark's eyes flickered for a little bit, when he rested on the bed, with Kara's head resting on his chest, when they came down. Her body shifted to spoon with him in bed and the blond sighed.

"Wonderful, like a dream," Kara breathed. "I think we sweated it all out."

Clark watched her and he took a moment for everything to click in. Part of the effects of the Red Kryptonite were gone but he still wanted to pin Kara down and make her his over and over again.

One truth hit him in the head.

He fucked his cousin.

And he liked it.

She was so beautiful. And could make him feel things that he never felt before.

"Kara…."

Kara's lips met his, with a tender kiss, nothing like the lust filled romp that shared and Clark returned it, eyes wide open. The Red Kryptonite lingered with him; even most of the extreme jerk tendencies have been burned out.

"I love you, Kal-El," Kara said in a breathy voice.

"Clark."

"I love him too," Kara stated when she gave him another reassuring kiss. "I love all of you."

Clark's eyes widened, when she looked at him, blue eyes full of longing and adoration.

"Don't you love me?"

Clark answered without hesitation. "Yes."

Kara's eyes closed. "I suppose we have to talk about this."

"In the morning," Clark answered, but there were thoughts in his mind that were very much "Kal" regarding what he would want to do with her in a few hours.

Their biology was altered, although exactly how, they would not realize in a number of days.

* * *

Chloe pulled up to the Kent Farm, having returned from Metropolis. It was getting rather late at night, well technically it was kind of early in the morning. She yawned when she moved herself up the drive.

'_Well, Mr. Kent is used to keeping early hours,' _Chloe thought to herself, when she made her way up the drive way, with trepidation, dragging her heels behind her a little bit more. The blonde waited for a little bit, patiently folding her arms together.

Three o'clock in the morning, and given the weirdness that was abode in Smallville, this was not the ideal time to be out and about alone. Chloe regretted many things but she kept a steady pace, her feet sore after being on them all day but she kept walking. She reached a hand up and gave a soft knock on the door.

For a second she thought that the Kents were still in bed and would not answer her gentle calling. Chloe remained on the steps, looking over her shoulder nervously. She sensed a presence around her but she could not pinpoint what that presence might be.

The door opened and Jonathan Kent stood there. He stood, raising an eyebrow in surprise before he greeted his early morning visitor. "Chloe, what are you doing here?"

"I ran into him….Clark," Chloe answered and no sooner did these words leave her month, Jonathan stepped back and Martha joined him.

"You ran into him?" Martha asked, wondering what Clark's temperament would be after what he's been through.

"He seems fine, there's this….girl that was with him," Chloe responded, struggling to find her words. "And….her name is Kara, ring a bell."

"She….knew Clark before he was adopted," Martha answered when she chose her words carefully.

Chloe nodded, arms folded. "Story checks out then. Of course, why would she pop up now, when Clark's had an attitude problem, I don't know."

"I don't know either Chloe, but are you sure he's safe?" Jonathan asked, making a vow that if Kara did not have Clark back in three days, he was heading to the caves to speak to Jor-El himself and make him bring his son home.

"He looked fine," Chloe answered, deciding to not tell the Kents about how fine he looked with this Kara girl.

"Well thank you for checking up on him," Martha stated gratefully. "Do you know where he is now?"

"He was just leaving I think….he could be anywhere in Metropolis by now," Chloe stated, feeling annoyed about the tight spot she was in. "But I think as long as he's with Kara, he'll be fine."

Martha nodded, but a stray thought hit her. If Kara came into proximity with the red rock, she could be affected as well, providing she was anything like Clark. That threw an entirely new wrench into the situation.

"Well thanks for stopping by, if you hear anything else, be in touch," Martha stated and Chloe stood on the doorstep.

"I'll be sure, try and have a good day, Mrs. Kent, Mr. Kent," Chloe said and they nodded.

Chloe edged out slowly but she wondered with everything was going on, she really wondered. Perhaps Chloe was becoming a bit on the paranoid side with everything that went on but she thought that there was something weird going on with Clark and this mystery girl showing up out of nowhere.

"If he isn't back, I'm heading to the caves, Martha."

Chloe paused, she was certain she was not supposed to hear that and she edged away.

'_I think my weirdness sense is tingling,' _Chloe thought to herself, before deciding that it was time for her to take a field trip to the Kawatchee Caves, to start to get to the bottom of the enigma that was Clark Kent's behavior.

Her curiosity got the better of her.

**To Be Continued in the Next Chapter "Discussion and Bonding."**


	3. Chapter Two: Interactions

**Chapter Two: Explanations and Interaction. **

Chloe left the Kent Farm and moved forward on our quest for answers. Being tired was not something that phased her, at least not that much. Especially when considering that she had something that she needed to find out and soon; that something regarding Clark. She kept edging forward towards the caves, nearly slipping and sliding when she made her way down there. The teenager moved with a purpose, knowing that before her laid something that she could feel lied nearly in her fingertips. Before here there would be answers, answers resolving her inability to uncover the mystery that was Clark Kent, something she wanted to do for as long as she could remember.

Would these answers be those of the good variety or would they be those of the variety that would make her question why she ever bothered? Chloe had no idea but she moved forward into the caves, appreciating the culture around her. She had to admit, there was a certain kind of aura to this place, that made entering it an adventure in a half. That aura kept her standing there rigid and on her toes.

Cool air blew, despite it being a warm summer night and Chloe carefully stepped forward, to feel the walls. They were once again cool to the touch and there was a certain quality about their texture. Not just the paintings on the walls but the blank spots on them as well. She ran her hands over them again and again, to try and feel what they were like. There was nothing about them other than the texture. The blonde blinked slightly and felt her stomach turn slightly, twisting in a knot.

She thought there was something about the walls, a sense of familiarity that she could not place. Her heart sped up, it was almost like there was something there in the walls. Something alive in the walls, something that caused her mind to go into overdrive, almost as if repressed memories were threatened to being brought to the surface but there was a crunch behind her, causing her to turn around.

Had Chloe kept her eyes on the wall behind her, she would have seen the symbols light up but by the time she turned around, they were dormant.

She could have sworn that she heard something but it was quiet, all too quiet. Chloe winced when she thought that last little bit.

'_That's a good way to get yourself killed, Sullivan,' _Chloe thought to herself, trying to keep a cool head and most importantly, a clear head when she kept walking around the cave, stepping on the ground.

Her heart almost thought as she heard more noises.

At first she thought that there was going to be some Luthorcorp thug making their way down here to try and run her off. Given Lionel's renewed interest in the caves, it was not something that surprised Chloe. Her eyebrow corked in the air slightly when she folded her hands but there was nothing. There was not even a mouse, which surprised her.

'_Okay,' _Chloe thought to herself, biting down firmly upon her lip. _'Okay, but there's something….there's something here.'_

Chloe stood rigid in the cave, the blonde's heart drumming the death march against her rib cage. Perhaps it was time to spin around on her heel, put one foot in front of the other, and get out of here before something dexterous happened. Of course, persistence might as well have been the middle name of this small blonde, when she placed her hand on the edge of the cave wall again and closed her eyes.

"Okay," she whispered, adjusting her stance and turning herself around. "There isn't a giant boulder that's rolling down to crush me. That's likely a good sign."

Chloe continued to walk to her destination, feeling tense as she did. The time ticked by with the blonde spending more and more time in the caves. The more time she spent in the caves, the more on edge she was and more she wondered if there was a presence.

In Smallville, they proudly stated that they were the meteor capitol of the world, but there was another distinction that Chloe thought fit them like a glove. They were in the middle of the weirdness capitol of the world and the blonde edged herself forward, biting down on her lip until it hurt.

The truth was that with her relative normality, Chloe did feel stranger than anything that went through the area of Smallville. Perhaps that was the weirdest point of all but that was just how she felt. Everything that she encountered looped around to the point where if something was completely normal with no strings attached, then it went back around to being completely weird. The blonde closed her eyes when she thought about it and she threw all action to the wind.

Daring, that's what she was.

"Hello?" Chloe asked tentatively and she tapped on the wall, once, twice, and then thrice.

There was no answer to her rapping, no answer as she silently came a tapping. Chloe edged away, anyone who had any degree of sanity might decide that now was the time to step away and let it be.

Chloe pressed her ear against the cave wall; she could swear that there was a humming noise reverberating from behind it. Yet there was nothing, nothing stirred from behind that cave wall.

"If there's anyone here, don't worry, I won't tell!" Chloe yelled when she turned around. Times like this, she sensed a presence in these caves.

Footsteps could be heard and Chloe thought that was her cue to exit stage left. She edged around, nearly slipping when she did, hiding herself.

"I told you, I saw these weird lights down here earlier this morning."

"And now they're not here. You dragged me out of bed for a triviality."

"Mr. Luthor, you got to believe me, there was this weird lightshow…."

"Enough, there's nothing here but tools….."

Chloe remained rigid and sure enough, the prince of darkness himself, Lionel Luthor, stood at the end of the dark tunnel, with a trio of workers.

"Nothing here, at all," Lionel confirmed when he turned around and while his interest in the caves was not going to go away any soon, he was not going to pander with the delusions of his brain addled employees. He took a brief look around, perhaps as a courtesy, but perhaps to mock them as well. The businessman spun around. "Well whatever spirits you saw, they have evacuated now."

Chloe let out the breath that she was holding when she was certain that they were gone. That was a close moment and now she edged forward. It was a good thing she parked her car a ways away and walked, otherwise, the blonde would have been up a creek without a paddle.

She thought about the deal that Lionel made her but she wondered what the cost would be. Likely selling her soul to the highest bidder would put her in a more favorable position. Yet, Chloe edged herself closer and closer. The blonde closed her eyes and thought that much like Lionel, this trip down to the caves was a waste of time.

Little did Chloe know that there was someone keeping an eye on her.

Lara remained in the walls, dormant for the most part, although she was trying to read through everything that Jor-El had. Despite his attitude being less than stellar, he did have ahold of some information that could help Kal-El and Kara as well during their journey on Earth. Plus Lara sensed that there were treasures both deep within this cave and elsewhere on Earth, but she could not completely tap into them just yet. Kryptonian explorers visited Earth before and whilst the technology they might have left behind was stone age by Kryptonian standards, it was positively out of this world and light years beyond anything that was on Earth, so it would serve the two survivors well.

She did amuse herself by her first encounter, kind of, with one of her son's companions. Lara did admire the girl's persistence. That man who was nosing around the caves was a bit of a problem, although Lara suspected that it would arouse more suspicion if no one was going to break in. She would do what she could to shield what was down in the cave.

There were many things that Lara had to do to prepare herself for helping her son. She noticed one of her husband's plans lying dormant in these caves, she was in stasis and her mind….was fractured.

'_Figures,' _Lara thought to herself, her husband had no sense of being subtle at all.

Although the vessel would be useful for her plans so she would have to restructure it a little bit.

* * *

The drapes were open and the sunlight bathed the two figures in the room. Especially Clark Kent, who pulled himself back out of the stupor that he was in, amazing how the last few weeks went. Actually if he went back a week and told himself what was going to happen in many ways, he would hardly believe it. He saw the blonde lying next to him, draping against his chest and Clark woke himself up, trying to figure out what happened.

His older cousin tracked him down when he was under the pull of the Red Kryptonite and given that she held a similar origin to him, it affected her as well. Although Clark wondered if it was less of a dramatic change because for some reason, he felt that natural born Kryptonians had a more enlightened or perhaps daring attitude towards certain things that humans felt to be taboo.

Kara shifted against him, looking up at him with her eyes flickering open. She widened her eyes when she got up.

"So, last night?" Kara asked as she tried to gauge his reaction.

"Yes, last night," Clark responded when she sat up and rested against him. "You know what we did."

"I know what we did," Kara agreed with a nod of her head, before she looked up to the sky. "And I know humans have certain taboos that might make things a bit more uncomfortable for you now that your head is clearer."

It was all fun and games between the two of them.

"Do you regret what happened?" Clark asked in a cautious voice when he looked at his cousin and she shifted a little bit. Her eyelashes fluttered and somehow she looked extremely gorgeous the first thing in the morning. A little frown crossed her face when she watched Clark, before grabbing him by the arms and playfully pinning him to the bed.

"Never," Kara responded in a playful tone of voice, as she straddled him, keeping him pinned to the bed.

"Not even…."

"No."

Kara started to kiss the side of his neck, causing him to lose himself to her efforts, and she sucked on the side of it, leaving marks.

"No, I don't regret what happened because you needed some stress relief," Kara answered whilst she nuzzled her face into Clark's neck, leaving her statements slightly muffled, before she pulled herself up, tracing patterns on his chest. "And you're still pretty tense."

Kara rubbed circular motions around his neck and there was a second where Clark's conscience tried to butt into the pleasure his libido punched it out. Yet her talented hands washed all of those thoughts out of his mind and for the first time since he could remember, he allowed himself to relax, feeling her hands work over him, rubbing the knots of his neck, one at a time. She worked around him, carefully trying to ease his tension and he sighed, feeling her talented motions on the back of him.

"I guess you're right, I do need a lot of stress relief," Clark responded when her hands worked over him.

"In many ways, we're alone on this world, sure we might have human friends, even friends close enough to be family, but we share something that we'll never share with any other person," Kara breathed in his ear when she continued her circular motions around his neck. He had to admit, her hands were amazing. "We come from an advanced race far beyond anything that has been seen on Earth so far. Our oldest, most archaic technology, outstrips the most advanced technology here on Earth."

Kara paused before she added. "And that's not a knock on anything on Earth, it's just that Krypton has had much more time to be alive and prosper."

"How long were we around since….before the end."

"At least hundreds of trillions of years, if not longer," Kara responded as she continued to work over the knot with her hands and Clark relaxed, letting her use her talented hands to make him feel so good. "There were planets much older than us throughout the twenty eight galaxies, some still exist, others don't. Some are almost extinct, and might have burned out in a flicker by now. I slept for nearly fifteen years."

Kara kept massaging his neck, working her hands around him, before she pressed her face against the back of his neck. He felt her misty breath him and the aroma brought nearly as many daring sensations as the Red Kryptonite.

"In some ways, I'm sad that I missed out on a lot of your life but there is a lot more of your life that we have to go," Kara answered when she slid in front of him and draped her legs over his leg, placing her hands on his chest. "I'd like to find out more about you, if I can, over breakfast, shall we say."

"That'd be great," Clark responded but he paused for a moment, something irritated him a tiny bit and he slowly turned to face Kara, his eyes narrowed slightly before he watched her. "Something's different after last night."

Kara hitched in a breath, the truth be told, she felt something different after last night as well. The blonde spun around before she placed her hands on her waist and took a moment to ponder it. She blurted out the first statement that came into her head.

"Is it the good kind of different or the bad kind of different?" she asked, watching Clark.

"I don't know," Clark admitted with a shrug, but he knew one thing for certain. He was not going to go back to the way things were ever again. He watched the blonde who moved over to the floor. "You said something last night."

"I said a lot of things, most of them likely can't be repeated in the ears of polite company," Kara responded when she rummaged through the bag on the floor. Thankfully she packed a couple extra changes of clothes, because the dress she wore last night was ravaged and pretty much ruined. "But what in particular are you talking about?"

Clark answered her inquiry immediately, a raised eyebrow when he watched her pull on a pair of red panties and a red bra. A part of him was extremely disappointed that she was covering up but that was something that was bound to happen eventually.

"The part about us being….well not the same as humans," Clark responded as he watched her standing there, arms folded in a white half shirt and tight jean shorts. She slipped a pair of sandals on, much better than those heels she wore earlier.

"There are many differences, even if we look the same," Kara answered when she looked at Clark and put her hand on his. Both craved the touch of the other, it was almost like some drug they could not shake. "I promise, I'll tell you about it later, tell you anything you want to know about our race, and its history, but first I think we should have some breakfast."

"I'm buying," Clark answered and Kara kissed him on the cheek, but the sensation lingered far longer than it normally did. His face burned and once again, he suppressed the desire to throw her down and repeat last night. It was bubbling on the back of his mind, always tempting.

"I'm glad, because I don't have any idea what's good or not on Earth," Kara responded, wondering what her first experience with human cuisine would be with. She trusted that her cousin would have fairly good taste.

Then again, he would have to be, being with her.

* * *

"You asked me if I had any regrets in there," Kara whispered to Clark when they sat down at a private booth in a nice, quaint restaurant. It was quite the contrast from the hustle of the night club that they were in last night. "I should have asked you the same question."

"Asking me a week ago, and I would have been appalled by what happened," Clark admitted when he closed his eyes and thought about it. The thought of deflowering his cousin, even though it was more of her doing the deflowering to him, would have been something that twisted his stomach. "But, now, it feels like I'm a lot more open with who I am and what I can do."

Clark sipped the milk; there were some things about him that would never change.

"So, the two of us, we're together, I guess for lack of a better term," Clark offered.

"So last night wasn't a one time thing?" Kara asked, sounding hopeful but she paused. "Of course it isn't. Like it or not, Kal, we are the last of our kind. And it's down to us to keep our entire race for going extinct."

Kara realized what she implied before she hastily amended, a smile crossing her face when she saw her cousin's discomfort. He was kind of cute when he squirmed, that much was something that Kara could take to the bank.

"Not now, like I said, Kryptonians…have a more controlled process than humans when it relates to conception, there are no accidents, for we've evolved to a certain level," Kara explained to him, as if explaining the very facts of life to him. Although in some ways, she kind of was. She sat across from her cousin, before she inclined her head a little bit. "In some ways, what humans are now, we were thousands of years ago. Generations of evolution have changed us to the advanced race that we are."

Clark let this all sink in, to be honest this was a lot to take in and he had to trust his gut that his cousin knew what she was talking about. She was there, she lived it, surely she knew a lot about it. That was one thing that was most certainly true after all.

"We do have to talk about us, though, and where we go from here," Kara stated when she took a drink of the milk that she had. It was not entirely unpleasant to be honest.

Clark had to come clean with her and he threw his hands up, with a shrug. "I'm mostly new to the entire relationship thing."

"I'm new to it too, my father….well he wanted to micro-manage every detail of my life," Kara responded honestly and this caused an expression to flicker across Clark's eyes. "That sound familiar."

"It seems like my father and your father have a lot in common," Clark mused and Kara's expression turned to that of amusement.

"It's funny, the House of El was what humans might consider to be dysfunctional but…..those two had a lot of controlling tendencies together, although they were geniuses in their own right and I guess that Jor-El was a little less insufferable as an actual person as he was being an artificial intelligence," Kara admitted when she watched her cousin's reaction. "The two of us, I'm sure we can build a foundation for something solid. We don't need to be alone, not when we have each other."

Clark thought that was a poignant statement and he watched the expression on his cousin's face, her eyes dancing with joy when she considered several things. The blonde locked her bright blue eyes on Clark's and chewed on the toast, carefully keeping an eye on him.

"I never dated, not even once," Kara answered, with a shrug. She had female friends that she relieved her tensions with but that was not something that she was going to tell Clark now. "I guess we shared something together last night, whether or not the red rocks were there."

"Kal might have been the one to be there, but I wanted something as well," Clark stated, grabbing her hand from across the table.

"Honestly?" Kara asked with a raised eyebrow and he smiled back.

"Honestly," Clark responded when he reached forward and grabbed her hand with a tight squeeze and Kara relaxed her posture a little bit, a smile crossing her face. "So how as life on Krypton for you?"

"A challenge," Kara admitted when she watched her cousin with a bright smile. "So how is life on Earth treating you?"

Clark responded by watching Kara before he answered with the same voice and the same inflection. "A challenge."

"That's life in general," Kara responded in a thoughtful voice. "How many of your powers have you tapped into yet?"

"You mean there are more?" Clark asked but then he remembered that she could fly and he could not.

"Loads more," Kara answered with a wide smile when she took another drink of the milk and finished her toast. "I've retrieved the one component of my ship that has any use. The hard drive of my ship, my mother has left a journal on it, detailing what you expect underneath the yellow sun. And there's other usual scientific data that you might find useful. To learn about your Kryptonian heritage, your powers, and how they work, everything along those lines. And your father might have something useful, even if his personality is less so."

Clark looked rather reluctant to agree with that point but Kara's face spread with a smile.

"Your father isn't a problem any longer, I'll show you soon, it's a surprise," Kara answered as she pulled Clark into an embrace and they cleared up, before heading out into the city, the two of them walking.

The two kept walking for a little bit in silence before Clark decided to ask a question that he wondered about.

"My birth mother…."

"What about her?" Kara asked in a curious voice and Clark swallowed a lump in her throat.

"What was she like, did you know her?" Clark questioned Kara and the blonde folded her arms, before she inclined her head with a slight nod.

"I did know her," Kara told him, before she waited for more information. "You never met a person that was less deserving with dying with the rest of that planet than Aunt Lara. If it wasn't for how high risk her pregnancy was, she would have went along with you but such a trip that soon after her pregnancy would have killed her."

Kara smiled before she watched Clark's reaction.

"You were her miracle baby," Kara added when she walked forward, when the sun shined bright over Metropolis. "If you'd like, I'd tell you stories about her."

Clark didn't want to admit it, but he'd like that a lot.

* * *

Kara and Clark spent the entire day together but there was something weighing on his mind. Despite the fact that all that happened and all of the revelations that he went through, there was something that Clark felt like he needed he had to do.

"My parents….after what happened, I'm not sure that I could face them ever again," Clark commented but Kara turned around, watching him, before her eyes widened and she nodded, with a brief smile crossing her face.

"That's your decision what you do, Kal-El," Kara whispered to him before she wrapped her arms around her. "If you cannot face them then….that's your call."

Kara did wonder what happened that escalated this, all she knew that there were some huge tremors and that knocked her out of that ship. She did not tell Kal the full extent to what happened, that was something that to him, it was on a need to know basis. Plus, she did not want him to foolishly think he was responsible when she almost drowned because of the green rocks poisoning her.

Something told Kara that he was the type to hold a huge guilt complex.

She wondered what she would do in his place as well but naturally it was really hard to throw one's self into the shoes of another person. All Kara could do was stick by him and remain supportive. She reminded herself that being the last two of their kind, they needed to draw a certain amount of strength from each other and stick together to preserve their species.

"What did you do?" Kara asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. Clark's eyes turned to her, and for a second, Kara thought she ventured into some really personal territory. "Sorry, if you don't want to talk about it…."

"It's alright Kara, it might help," Clark responded, it actually did feel good to talk to someone who knew where he was coming from. "It all started when my ship activated with the voice of my father Jor-El. It claimed that it was time to leave to complete my destiny."

"Did he say what your destiny was?" Kara asked, feeling a bit ill at this term being thrown around. While she felt confident her cousin could be capable of some great things, it should be done on his own accord and not because someone said so.

Clark thought that while he did not explicitly say what that was, he did say enough to make him panic and do the thing that he did. "Well….he implied that I was here to take over the world. The more I think about it…."

"Clark, it's okay, I wouldn't beat yourself up for making that interpretation," Kara responded, closing her eyes before popping them back open. "Jor-El, it seems to be, used an extremely flawed transference of his memories into this AI. He lacked emotion, therefore he lacked empathy and understanding, not to mention the ability to adapt."

Kara took a moment to collect her thoughts before she moved back into them.

"Which means that he wouldn't have known to carefully convey what you needed to know, because he wouldn't dare assume that you would go against him," Kara stated while flipping her hair back and biting down on her lip, before she continued. "His language was given in the extent that you would have to obey him or else there would be grave consequences. I am not wrong about that, am I?"

Clark nodded, admitting that Kara was not wrong. She sighed before waving her hand. "Please, continue."

Continue was what Clark did. "I thought that since the Kryptonite…."

"That's what you call those rocks?" Kara questioned, wondering if there could be an even more inventive name. Although off the top of her head, Kara could not really think of one, so she motioned for Clark to continue with his story.

"So I made a key made out of Kryptonite, thinking that if I was harmed by it, so would the ship," Clark responded, thinking about it before he responded. "And it did work."

"Although not in the way you intended," Kara answered and Clark inclined his head.

"No, not in the way I intended," Clark responded, folding his arms, before shaking his head and Kara grabbed his hand, squeezing it with tight strength. "It worked but it sent the shockwaves. It flipped over the truck of my parents, and flipped it. My mother….she was pregnant and…..well she lost the baby."

Kara hugged him tightly, not saying anything more other than that. While she thought that he could have thought things through a bit more, there was a situation where Jor-El forced his hand. That made Kara glad that Lara's will overrode Jor-El's and hopefully Kal's life would be a lot more easier.

"I'm sorry….and she didn't….she didn't act like anything was the matter there," Kara answered in a heavy breath, but the truth was, she only assumed that Martha Kent was worried about where Clark might have been. She never even thought that she lost another child and that really made Kara admire her resolve in a number of ways. The blonde took some time to flip her head back and bit her lip. "She's…she's strong not to go to pieces."

"That's my mother," Clark answered as he looked at Kara, she could see the pride in his eyes. "Dad wasn't too pleased….although I think he was more upset about what I did than anything and I'm sure he didn't mean anything that he said."

"No, I'm sure he didn't, but there were things said and done, that none of us can take back," Kara responded in a wise voice, when she threw her legs over Clark's lap, straddling him. "I know there will come a day where you will find your own strength to face them and when you do….that will be when you were ready."

"I thought you were going…."

"Tell you that you should go and check in, no I won't tell you that," Kara responded, stroking Clark's cheek. "Perhaps Jor-El was right."

Clark could not believe she said that and Kara could not believe that she could either.

"He did say that your time with the Kents were done but perhaps not in the way he intended to," Kara responded as she was practically nose to nose, straddling to face him on his lap. "You are something extraordinary and you have potential. It is a shame that it took a glowing Red rock to bring it out, but we can't hide what's inside of you."

Kara paused, growing thoughtful before she spoke again for a moment.

"They will be your family, always and forever," Kara stated in an firm voice. "And I'm glad they took care of you, for I was unable to be there for you. But now the two of us are together and I'll be here for as long as you want me."

Clark wrapped his arms around the girl.

"And we can live for a very long time underneath the yellow sun," Kara added as Clark was curious.

"How long?"

Kara smiled at him, pressing her hands on either side of his face and looking deeply into his eyes. "Long enough where these buildings around us, they'll be nothing but dust and decay and the two of us will still be standing here, young as ever."

Two sets of lips met with a fiery kiss and something interesting happened. There was a red flicker through their eyes, almost like the Red Kryptonite effect kicked up anew with the pair of them. Clark's, no Kal's, hands roamed rather daringly, running his hands underneath her shirt and cupping her breasts underneath. The blonde breathed rather heavily when she felt his motions, one hand was underneath her shirt and the other was underneath her skirt. They were in a very public location, outside where anyone could see her.

Why was it that fact made her wetter than she would have been normally?

Kal thought that this felt right and wanted to repeat what happened last night, not caring that there were people watching. He sought to tear her panties off and hold her down, until she begged for him to stop. She was tilted back on the table, and Kara closed her eyes, when she removed his shirt from over the top of him.

"Kal," Kara breathed before she ceased his actions, wrapping a pair of hands around him, giving him a delicate touch. "Not…not here."

She wanted it to be here but at the same time, it was not here.

"Really, this tells me differently?" Kal asked as he squeezed her from underneath her skirt. Kara bit down on her lip and whimpered, unable to stop her lips from smashing Kal's again and again. "That's so hot and wet."

"Yes, yes, I am," Kara panted, feeling the desire to be bent over that table, her panties pulled down, and Kal to have his way with her in every single way imaginable. "But…we don't want to give them a show, that they don't deserve."

Kara's eyes closed over, trying to reconcile why they should not do that here, even if she was tempted to tear off his pants and push herself onto him, riding him into the ground until he begged for her to stop. Yes that felt good.

"The RedK…it's infused with us," Kara breathed heavily as she closed her eyes and sure enough one of the women passing them looked rather red in the face. Kara could smell her arousal by being in proximity with the two of them. "Our powers are having an interesting effect on us and the people around us."

Kara tried to keep control of her senses even though her heart drummed one beat at a time and she was so wet that she could barely stand it. Despite that, despite the fact that her senses took complete leave of herself, Kara managed to shake it off.

"I'm sure we could control it, given enough practice," Kara managed with a half stammer, half whimper which caused Kal to raise an eyebrow.

"Why….why would we want to?" Kal asked, before he resumed his actions, pretty shamelessly groping her breasts through her shirt when she straddled him. She grinded back on his crotch, but reigned in the desire that she had.

"Because….normal humans might not be able to handle that level of sexual gratification," Kara breathed when she felt the fire burn through her and her hands instinctively moved towards his belt buckle, before she stopped herself. "When they get finished….at this heightened level of pleasure, they are finished….for good"

"Well that's one way to go out with a bang," Kal stated, a bad boy smile that caused another passing girl to squeal and nearly feel faint.

"Yes, but….let's find a private place so we can fuck, will talk about logistics later," Kara stated, feeling faint and she grabbed him around the neck tightly, and pressed her lips onto his with a fiery kiss. Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist.

Kal nodded, that was all that he could do with his mouth currently being rather busy with hers.

* * *

It took them a few more minutes that they would have liked to but Kara and Kal found a private room. Kara's clothes were nearly stripped off as was Kal's on their way there. The pair of them stumbled a little bit in the dark, trying to figure out a way to get there.

**Lemon Content Begins.**

-PROFILE-

**Lemon Content Ends. **

"Kal," Kara breathed, kissing him tenderly on the lips, when they concluded their activities.

Kal relaxed in her arms, she was family and a lover wrapped into one. Someone who could stand beside him as an equal and could bring out his full potential, whatever that might be. Jor-El might have been right, he did have some grander calling. But it would be on his terms and not Jor-El's.

It would be because of what he wanted to do and nothing else.

"We kind of reek," Kara responded when she sniffed the air. "Why don't we take a shower?"

Without another word, Kara grabbed Kal and she dragged her baby cousin into the next room for some "good clean fun."

**To Be Continued in the Next Chapter. (Also featuring the announcement about who will be in the harem, so last call for votes)**


	4. Chapter Three: Bonding Time

**Harem list is after the chapter. This should insight some complaints. :)**

**Chapter Three: Bonding Time. **

Now with their desires burned from their system, Kara and Kal sat down at a park in Metropolis, next to each other. He had his arm wrapped around her, as she rested against his chest, feeling the breeze blowing against them. She inhaled the beautiful smells, heard the sounds, saw the sights, and just felt everything around her.

Earth was an amazing place, certainly not without its flaws but Krypton could be pretty flawed as well. The blonde relaxed up against her cousin, her lover, thinking about all of the things that she could help him do, all of the possibilities that were open for him.

"People spend their entire lives trying to change the world, you know that Kal," Kara responded and her cousin turned to the stunning blonde. She bit down on her lip and added. "I can call you Kal, right?"

Kal smiled at her, stroking her hair with his fingers as she rested against him. "Only when we're alone, Kara."

Kara smiled, she could live with that. She wondered if her cousin thought about how much longer he had to play the role as mild mannered Clark Kent. The blonde shifted her weight, resting against Kal-El, the blonde leaning against his chest and smiled, hearing the tweeting of the birds around her. It was something that was not really seen on Krypton so Kara appreciated every single moment she could of the beauty and majesty, the simple pleasures most people took for granted.

"Did you ever wonder if you're alone?" Kara asked Kal out of the blue. "Did you ever feel like…."

"Feel like that there was no one out there that could understand me?" Kal asked but Kara straddled his lap, before placing her hands on either side of his face and smiling towards him.

"Wonder no more, because the answer is no," Kara responded as she leaned forward and pressed her lips on his mouth. Kal returned the kiss, at one time he might think that something like this would be wrong but it felt so right. In fact, if this was wrong than Kal did not want to be right and Kara had to agree with that statement. She used her hands to massage the back of the neck.

"Kara….it could kick in at any time," Kal breathed, but she kissed the side of his neck, straddling him. The only barrier between the two of them joining completely were their clothes. Kal appreciated how short her skirt was and placed his hands on either side of her thighs. He rolled his hands off of her nubile flesh.

"Don't care, do you?" Kara asked, nibbling Kal's ear and he grabbed her, clamping his mouth down on her neck, sucking on the flesh. The warm summer air was nothing compared to how hot it got between the two of them. "I was sent…to make sure you would be okay."

Kal raised an eyebrow towards Kara.

"But it doesn't matter what might have happened now that we're together," Kara responded as she wrapped her arms around her cousin, hugging him tightly.

Kara and Kal decided to detangle themselves from each other and looked into the sky. It was hard to remember that she couldn't just leap up and fly when she wanted to, well not without leaving Kal on the ground and she would have to slow down for him until he got off to speed. But they had plenty of time, she could wait.

"We have a lot to do and I have a lot to teach you about your powers," Kara responded, walking forward. Her training program taught her to master every single power that a Kryptonian was capable with underneath the yellow sun. "And don't worry, they'll be certain perks if you meet expectations."

"I'm looking forward to it," Kal stated, lifting her up into the air with his strong arms and Kara started to giggle as he placed his hands on her bare stomach as she was held up. She leaned down and offered him a light kiss on the lips; something he returned hungrily, the blonde worked her tongue into his mouth.

Chloe showed up and stopped, that was something that she did not expect see. The girl from the club and Clark, well they remained together and they seemed to be getting along quite well. She wondered if she should break this up but what she saw the other night at the caves, she thought that Clark might be interested in hearing what she had to say.

"A-hem," Chloe stated, clearing her throat and Kara spun around to see her. "Kara, we meet again."

"Oh, hi Chloe, see I told you I could take good care of him," Kara responded, with Clark putting his arm around her.

"I can see that," Chloe responded, feeling flushed, there was something about being this close to them that made her head feel dizzy. It was likely because she had skewed hours of sleep and had more caffeine that was medically recommended. Yet, for some reason she felt a warmth spread through her body. She shook her head and tried to regain the focus needed to concentrate. "I went back and talked to your parents."

"Let me guess, they told you to drag me home instantly," Clark responded in a defensive voice.

"Whoa there cowboy, ease up on the defense," Chloe answered as she threw her hands into the air in defense. "I was just….I was just saying that I saw them. I'm not telling you what to do, but they were worried so…."

"I'll see what I want to do, if I'm ready to go home," Clark responded as he watched Chloe. "There's something that I have to do."

Chloe was confused, she wondered if she ever lived for a million years would she figure out the enigma that is Clark Kent? "What is it?"

"It's something I have to do to find myself," Clark responded as he watched Chloe, keeping his eyes locked firmly on hers. "I have a greater purpose in life."

Chloe turned to Clark, her eyes fixed onto him. "Okay, I'm all for people finding some grander calling as much as the next person but you know, you're only entering your junior year in high school. I know you're not…well your grades aren't that bad, are they?"

"They're fine," Clark responded as he turned around, it was hard to explain.

Chloe tried to figure this out, there was an accident where the Kent truck flipped and Clark bolted from town. She had no idea why he bolted from town. Then this new girl showed up, out of the blue, Kara was her supposed name. She claimed that her mother knew Clark's biological mother and they knew each other when they were really young.

She supposed that was true but there was some big hole in the story that Chloe felt she was missing. Some thread she had yet to place in the story.

"You didn't come here to tell Clark that he should come home, did you?" Kara asked in a bold voice, and Chloe realized now how much this girl towered over her.

"No, I didn't, you should know that Lionel Luthor has been snooping around the caves, he saw flashes of light the night that…the other night," Chloe answered as she watched Kara and Clark.

Kara did not know who Lionel Luthor is but it was obvious that her cousin knew off and concern dripped from his voice when he responded to Chloe.

"He didn't see you, did he?"

Chloe shook her head. "No Clark, I was being discreet. But you better watch out because….he knows how you're obsessed with the caves."

She did not tell him with the proposed deal with the devil even if it dripped on her tongue. Something made her stomach turn for even considering it, for a moment. To advance her career, get an early foot up into the Daily Planet, perhaps? There would be other opportunities. She tried to convince herself that it was networking, everyone did it.

Yet, not everyone felt dirty about doing it, as Lionel Luthor made her feel when he made the offer.

"Are you okay?" Kara asked, frowning, there was something about this girl and her facial expressions that indicated that she was not fine.

"Okay, just a lot of stress, trying to intern at the Planet is a lot harder than I thought it would be," Chloe stated shaking her head. "The two of you, where are you staying? Or more importantly how are you paying? You haven't ripped off an ATM machine, have you?"

Clark winced for a second but Kara covered for him.

"No, I have money," Kara stated, her little diamond scheme gave them enough money for a few more days, where hopefully they would figure out a better plan of action.

Chloe felt herself ease up. Yet there was a question on her mind.

"Why did you act like that….that isn't the first time that you acted like that," Chloe remarked as she watched Clark. "It was like you're an entirely different person."

"Well maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do," Clark responded, feeling a bit of trepidation of letting her into his world any more than he had to.

"Maybe I don't," Chloe responded with a shrug, giving him the office for him to say something. Say anything, perhaps open to her just a little bit.

Yet she was left hanging and Kara frowned.

"So if you want to talk to me about what happened, I'll be at the Planet all day, and….I'll be at the hotel across the street after five,' Chloe responded as she watched Clark with imploring eyes, almost pleading with him to open up.

Clark nodded. "I will. Take care of yourself Chloe and don't worry about Lionel."

'_Don't worry Clark, I'm not worrying about him but you should be,' _Chloe thought but she turned around, watching Clark and Kara.

There was a part of her that wondered, given the fact that they were in meteor weirdness central, if there was something off about Clark. Or technically something normal, because if Clark had been normal, that would have been the weird thing but this kind of thinking about comparing weird versus normal began to make Chloe's brain hurt.

* * *

"So, just one question I want to ask you if I can?"

Kara and Kal were walking back to the hotel, night was about to fall. Although given their super powers, there were very few things that could hurt them but still it was unwise to put a red flag on themselves and invite the crazies to take a shot at them. The two of them walked and Kal spun around to face Kara.

"Yes, Kara," Kal responded, seeing that his cousin was about ready to burst with the question.

"Do you trust Chloe with your life?"

That was the question that caught the last son of Krypton off guard and he turned, facing Kara, who watched him, carefully analyzing him, and watching his face with more movements. The blonde kept her blue eyes locked on Kal and he nodded in response.

"So you do trust her with your life?"

"Yes, Kara, I answered that," Kal responded as he wondered where this conversation was going. Kara was a girl that seemed to make him read between the lines sometimes and what she meant; he did not really have any idea. The blonde kept watching Kal for a moment, a knowing expression crossing her face.

"She carries a torch for you, doesn't he?" Kara asked and Kal snickered. "What's so funny?"

"Sorry, amused, that's the name of the school paper, the torch, so Chloe would always be carrying a torch," Kal responded as he watched Kara carefully and the blonde inclined her head, a look of annoyance flickering through her blue eyes. "But she does have a thing for me; I guess one could say that."

Kara offered a smile, but naturally she did not want her cousin to be forced into something.

"So did you have a special someone before?" Kara asked, grabbing Clark around the hand.

"I did but….it's done, I think," Kal responded, wondering where he stood with Lana, hell he wondered where he stood with everyone. It seemed like his life took a turn around to something completely different, like everything that happened prior this summer was in another life. He supposed that once he figured out what he wanted to do in his life, then he would be able to move forward to the next step of that life.

Kara's face remained neutral and Kal sensed there was something in her eyes, so he turned around towards her.

"You think I should have told Chloe the truth about me."

That question was direct enough that Kara appreciated. She gripped Kal's forearm tightly with her hand and stood on her tip toes to look into his eyes. Both of their eyes locked together.

"If you trust her enough, you'll know what you should do," Kara responded, feeling the breeze blow in her face. "I don't know her as well as you do."

"My father…adopted father, told me that a secret shared is a secret lost," Kal managed, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Kara remained silent, allowing the wind to hum and blow at her face, as she watched her cousin, seeing the sadness in his eyes. The Clark Kent parts of his personality left a small imprint, although the sooner he accepted the Kryptonian parts of him, the easier his life would be. Both would reach a sad truth that they would be here long after many of the people they knew disappeared into nothingness.

"Trust your gut, Kal-El," Kara responded without saying another word, as she watched the storm clouds roll in. That would give them the perfect clover. "I think we should cover one of your first lessons."

"And that is…"

"How to fly," Kara responded with a smile, this was the part of her powers that she was the most excited about. There was something about the feeling of the air blowing through her face and whipping her hair back, freedom that was unchained.

Kal took a moment to stare at her, looking a bit more tentative now.

"It's easy, but it's better if you have a guidance system," Kara responded before she gripped Clark and kicked into the air, flying towards their destination.

If he had been in more of Clark Kent mode, he would have had his nerves shoot up to an insane level but now that he is more Kal than Clark, it was not that bad. They kicked up into the sky, flying more and more and Kara swung him, a smile on her face as she picked up the pace with her cousin, the two of them working together.

"Just let go of your inhibitions, your fears, and any doubts about yourself that might have," Kara advised him as she swung him in the air, guiding him.

Clark was let go and he remained airborne, at least for about fifteen seconds. He was about ready to plummet to the ground but Kara swooped him next to him and caught him in her arms, holding him up tight. The blonde smiled.

"So was that flying?" Kal asked.

Kara offered him a smile. "No that was falling with style, not flying."

Kal looked crestfallen but Kara thought that he was closer than he might have thought. It was all about tapping into the right mindset.

'Not bad, Kal, not for the first time, you'll get it," Kara stated as they endeavored to try a few more times before calling it a day.

Practice did make perfect.

* * *

"There are certain distinct differences between Kryptonians and humans," Kara lectured Kal as they sat down in their bedroom the night later, after a nice meal together. "Well you know that the taboos are different, and far more relaxed. We are evolved to the point where the genetic defects caused with the potential result of relations between first cousins are minor."

Kal nodded in responded, waiting for her to continue her lecture.

"In fact ,they are nonexistent," Kara stated as she watched her cousin to make sure he was paying attention and the truth was he hung off every single word that dripped from her mouth. "We could have children, hypothetically speaking, and have no consequences. They would be as healthy as any human child born from two distantly related people."

Kal's expression turned rather wide eyed at the thought of having children, as Kara smirked. The truth was she was not quite ready to be a mother, maybe in a few years. She was barely out of her teenage years and underneath the yellow sun, her child bearing years were essentially infinite, so there was plenty of time.

"Most Kryptonians were born through a birthing matrix procedure," Kara continued to lecture him as Clark nodded. "Where the fertilized egg was extracted from the mother and placed in an incubator for fourteen months."

Kal raised an eyebrow.

"Kryptonian pregnancies are slightly longer than human pregnancies and the mood swings and the cravings are far worse," Kara stated to him, which caused a brief grimace to crack across his face. The blonde Kryptonian continued to explain to them. "The risk is high for them as well to go through the pregnancy the natural way but the reward is great as well."

"In what way?" Kal asked and Kara watched him.

"Children born through natural means end up being much stronger than children being born through the birthing matrix," Kara responded before smiling and watching him. "The two of us, we were conceived and born through natural means. Therefore, we will be stronger than Kryptonians, even without the yellow sun."

"There do seem to be so few of us though," Kal remarked and Kara shrugged.

"There have been whispers of colonies and I'm sure we couldn't be the only two who have escaped the planet intact," the blonde responded, before biting down on her lip. "It's a matter of perception really."

Kal decided to breach the question that had been on his mind. "So with humans…."

"Relations are possible, albeit with certain sacrifices being made, although you can master the control," Kara responded. "You have to hold back somewhat, and you can't go at it like you do with me."

"What about children, is that…"

"I'm afraid not," Kara responded as she watched him, and she was amused by the flummoxed reaction in his eyes.

"You know this is a hypothetical situation of course," Kal responded as he watched her, seeing her bent towards him and show him her cleavage which prompted certain stirrings before he checked himself.

Kara smiled, her smile was knowing and she understood. There was so much to tell Kal about his heritage, he was special in many ways. Then again, her own heritage was rather unique, even for Kryptonians. She closed her eyes but was glad that Kal was there to help her work through the worst of the hormones. Otherwise they would be unbearable.

"Yes, I know, but while our races resemble each other, we do have certain biological differences that would make the conception of children be very difficult," Kara explained to him as she closed her eyes. "Humans were like we were thousands of years ago but they are so far behind us that it will take another few thousand years for them to catch up to what we are now."

Kal nodded as he allowed all that to sink in.

"Is their technology to enable them to have powers like ours or even change them to be Kryptonian?" Kal wondered and it was then where Kara clapped a hand to her chin, threw her head back and looked thoughtful.

"One could consider there to be possibilities, yes, but it is a very fine tuned process and one small misstep could lead to a premature death for the subject," Kara explained after thinking. "It is possible to do so, there are ways to empower them but you must ask yourself one question. Is it worth the risk to put someone that you care about in harm's way for a momentary dose of pleasure?"

Standard humans could be good for sexual gratification if certain sacrifices were made but biologically speaking, for breeding purposes, there was a chance that they might be incompatible. Perhaps Kara was mistaken but that's just what her studies comparing human and Kryptonian biology taught her.

"No," Kal admitted as she parted his hair back and she smiled.

"Of course not all humans are standard, especially those based in the mystic arts, and then you have to consider the various alien races out there that are closely related to Kryptonians," Kara stated with a whisper. "Although they have to earn their way with you because I don't think I'll let any harlot off the street have a piece of my baby cousin."

Kal looked at her strangely before Kara smiled sweetly.

"Hypothetically speaking of course," Kara responded as she squeezed his hand. They would need to have certain qualities but she wanted to get her cousin together a mutually beneficial romantic collective or to put terms through the simplified human jargon, a harem. With his powers and the fact he was essentially a god, it was only logical.

Of course, Kara wanted to be with Kal for a while by herself, because he was going through a difficult stage that only she could handle. She could train him and prepare him for what he needed to do.

"It's time," Kal remarked and Kara corked an eyebrow. "I'm going to call my parents."

"But are you going home?" Kara asked, not really seeing herself living on a farm, as quaint as it might look. And she thought her cousin was capable of much loftier expectations, which she would encourage him to strive for.

"I just want to alleviate their worries," Kal admitted and Kara nodded.

"Fair enough."

* * *

Pick up the phone and call that was the easiest thing in the world, at least to those watching from the outside. However, for Clark it was something harder than anything that he ever experienced. It had been almost ten days since the incident, but it seemed like ten years since he ran off, putting on the Red Kryptonite ring and hitting the night club circuit at Metropolis.

Ten days since his life changed forever and he had his hand on the phone, a moment of indecision passing over him. Would he or would he not, that was the question? Kara sat down on the bench next to him, tapping her foot to the music that played outside. She did not say anything but remained supportive to his choice, no matter what it was.

Clark drummed his fingers on the side of the phone and dialed the number. He heard the ringing on the other end. Each ring was like a moment in time where Clark felt the nerves build up in him. He was not one who was going to go down that easily. He waited, he watched, carefully now, craning his ear and listening for the phone.

The phone was picked up, which was success. The tired voice of Martha Kent answered the other end of the phone.

"Hello?"

Clark Kent's voice became a bit tentative as he drew in a breath. "Mom, it's me."

"Clark?" Martha asked as she felt a rush of surprise and relief. "Clark….thank God, thank god you're okay!"

"Well, yes I'm fine," Clark responded before he added. "Physically at the very least."

"Clark, we weren't mad at you, just the situation," Martha responded as she put her hand up to her head. "So you're coming straight home, aren't you?"

Here comes the part that Clark was not looking forward to but it had to be said. Honesty was the best policy, no matter how much it hurt. He just hoped that he was able to look his mother in the eye again after he said what needed to be said.

"Not as such, no," Clark responded, feeling a bit of guilt but washed it over him when he remembered the necessity that he had to use. He needed to do something, anything to figure out where he was heading in life.

There was a long pause and there seemed to be a conversation between Martha and Jonathan on the other end of the phone.

"Son, after….I apologize for yelling at you like I did," Jonathan stated in a sheepish voice, it was a rather prominent hit to his pride but he admitted that he was as responsible for what happened as Clark was. "The blame is laid on one person and that is…."

"Jor-El, I know," Clark responded as he inhaled and exhaled, several times. He thought about a lot "But, what if he was right in some ways?"

"Clark, don't second guess everything, it's not time for you, you're only seventeen years old," Jonathan protested to him but Clark decided to cut him off.

"After…I need to get my head on straight," Clark responded as he held the phone, there was so much that he had to do. "I'll call you when I can but there are things that I need to do."

"What you need to do is come home?"

Clark appreciated that his father was concerned but he could not pretend that he was anything but human. The young Kryptonian remained calm.

"I'll call you back, you and Mom take care," Clark responded as he hung up the phone before his father answered.

He intended to return home, before too long but now was not the time. After what happened, he needed to really keep his mind clear.

"You think I should have gone home?" Clark asked Kara and Kara turned to him, shrugging her shoulders.

"Do you think you should have?" Kara asked, throwing the ball back into Clark's court.

"I don't know," Kal responded as he turned around but he realized something. "Did you say that your ship was in the dam?"

"Yes, it crashed there during the first meteor shower and the failsafe knocked me into stasis," Kara responded and Clark turned towards her, realizing it. "We better find it and find a place to hide it, before we find out our next move."

Although she was struggling to figure out where, so perhaps it would be better to destroy the ship. It was just useless metal, along with a failsafe that caused a huge explosion when it exploded. She had the hard drive and the crystal array in her bag, that was created to be bigger on the inside than the outside due to other talents that she had, beyond the normal Kryptonian power set.

She doubted that Kal had these gifts, because Kara inherited them from her mother's side of the family. She had to keep them quiet because those types were persecuted due to the fact that Krypton was a society of science. And thus her gifts were not trained up as they could be.

"Just took the words out of my mouth," Kal responded as Kara leaned forward and planted a brief kiss on his mouth.

"Great minds think alike," Kara responded with a shrug, before she prepared to head off.

* * *

Kal suggested it and Kara might have in another time assumed that there was likely no problem but the fact of the matter was that she supposed that she had a point. Despite the fact she removed the most valuable component, the ship's hard drive, along with the crystal array from it, there was still a chance that someone could make something out of the ship.

Of course, they could not get it open.

Actually if they could get it open, that was not a good thing, for it had a failsafe that would level everyone in the Midwest with an explosion.

"How big of a bang are we talking about?" Kal asked as Kara flew them into Smallville, careful not to be seen, sticking to tree cover as they did, along with shadows.

Kara paused, a grimace filling her face as she set Kal on the ground, so they could walk the rest of the way. The blonde inhaled and exhaled with a long sigh before she answered that question, sighing as she let out the answer to it.

"Well, I'm sure you're familiar with something called a nuclear explosion."

Kal's face filled with dread and Kara nodded her head up and down slowly.

"It's kind of like that," Kara responded, trying not to seem too worried, even though her stomach was turning with a million knots. The truth was she was expecting to find Kal and then go back to return to pick up the rest of her ship.

The two of them walked down the area of the dam and Kara stopped and so did Kal. The two of them saw the rocks down in the dam area, flowing into the water. The glow was prominent and Kal gingerly put his finger into the water, expecting to keel over for a second.

That didn't happen, he could touch the water, and there was no pull from the Kryptonite. His eyes widened as he felt it.

The Kryptonite didn't seem to affect him at all.

"I can't….I can't believe this," Kal breathed as he watched it and Kara stepped forward, stepping forward and she did not keel over either. "The Kryptonite it's been negated."

Kara remained quiet for an instant but Kal pressed on with a further explanation.

"Do you know why?"

Kara placed a hand to her chin and remained thoughtful, throwing her head back with a sigh.

"There are any number of explanations that I can think of but I'm not sure if it's temporary or permanent," Kara responded, as she placed her hands in her hair and turned around, closing her eyes. "We might have to run some tests to be sure."

There was so many explanations she could give her cousin, all explanations that were both scientific and super natural. Kal leaned forward and picked up the chunk of Kryptonite in his hand. He felt like he was holding live fire in his hand but the Kryptonite did not affect him at all. The Kryptonian flipped it over in his hands, waiting for the tell signs of him buckling to his knees but he found that it didn't hurt him anymore.

Kal wasn't complaining at all about not being affected by it. Given that the stupid stuff seemed to be everywhere, removing that particular Achilles heel was more than enough for him.

"So do you think…."

"I don't know what to think," Kara admitted but her mind diverted over to other things. Whether or not his loss of the Kryptonite vulnerability was permanent, well she would have to run some tests later to figure that out. That was only secondary because the next bit of news was unsettling. "Someone's been down here, and they've got my ship."

Kara bit down on her lip, focusing on it and Kal placed an arm around her waist, this relaxed the blonde but only slightly.

"We'll find a way to get it back Kara," Kal responded as he watched her. "You said that there's no way to open it."

"There shouldn't be, if I start hearing the ship's alarm, then we have only thirty minutes to find it before we have an earth shattering kaboom," Kara answered, grabbing Kal by the hand. "So far nothing, although it would make it easier for me to track it."

"Without the hard drive, it's nothing though," Kal stated and Kara nodded.

"Other than a beacon that there's a visitor in the area that there should not be there, we need to move forward, time is of the essence," Kara stated without taking a breath, as she kicked into the air, grabbing Kal by the hand and pulling him up beside her. She took to letting him go for instants and there were times where he flew, until he noticed that Kara did not support him and then he started to plummet.

That meant that he was always capable of flying and any issue that prohibited his flight, that was rooted in the back of the head. At least that's what Kara would state, the blonde closing her eyes as she flew beside her.

"Where are we going?" Kal wondered as Kara supported him this time, scanning the ground to make sure that there was no one close by that could do any damage or out them.

"We're going to meet someone," Kara responded and Kal opened his mouth but she shushed him. She was determined to get them there safely, no matter what the cost was.

Hopefully that would be the beginning of them getting answers that both of them eagerly sought.

* * *

"The architecture, it's impressive."

Lionel Luthor ran his hand over it, a smile crossing his face but there was nothing to it. He placed his hand on the vessel and saw it.

"Have you been unable to get it open?"

"No, it's sealed itself, we haven't been able to even scratch the surface."

Lionel crossed his arms as he looked at the ship, it was much like the octagonal disc, the same alloy, although it was much larger in scope. The disc was lost and he was certain that he could use it to open the vessel. He slowly tapped on the side of the vessel and watched it ,waiting, trying to figure out his next move.

"What is it? Some kind of government ship that crashed in the dam?"

"Government perhaps," Lionel responded as he watched the ship. "But not from our government."

"A spy ship then, Mister Luthor?"

Lionel remained silent, not trying to keep his mind on the vessel and he tapped the side of the vessel, rattling it.

"Perhaps, but we'll find out, I want this ship open and I want it opened yesterday."

He would have something that Swann didn't have and Lionel knew that his race to guide the Traveler's destiny would be much closer. There was something in there, there was secrets in there, secrets that would unearth.

"Take it to the lab ,work on it day and night until you get it open."

Lionel grabbed the paper in his hand and unfolded it. His son's fate was detailed, where he was presumed missing or potentially dead at sea because of the plane crash. He warned Lex about this marriage but Lex did not listen to him. Now he was going to have to pay the price. Although until there was a body found, Lionel was not going to count his chickens before they hatch.

He focused on the ship, discarding any thoughts of his son. Lex dug his own grave, perhaps literally.

**To Be Continued In the Next Chapter. **

* * *

_I had a really long and rambling bit about why I chose who I did for the harem, but I deleted it because it took up too much space. Doubled the order for a dozen(yeah I know, I know, far more than I said), and everyone has super powers of some kind….so there's that concern. Minor spoilers to explain certain things. _

_1) Kara Zor-El(Earth One)/Superwoman. 2) Kara Zor-El(Earth 2)/Karen Starr/Power Girl(or maybe Ultrawoman). 3) Lindsay Harrison/Galatea. (why let a perfectly good Kara clone go to waste?) 4) Diana/Wonder Woman. 5) Zatanna. 6) Faora(Man of Steel Version due to interdimensional insanity). 7) Maxima. 8) Chloe Sullivan/Indigo 9) Tess Mercer/Prometheus (guess how she gets her powers). 10) Lois Lane/Star Sapphire (yeah this genius idea came into my head about how to empower Lois in a fresh way. Feel free to imagine Lois in the uniform right about…now). 11) Barbara Gordon/Nightwing (with a heightened immune system that has given her super human endurance and a healing factor). 12) Patricia Swann (given Kryptonian abilities as Lara's Oracle, essentially playing the role that Lionel did for Jor-El). _

_So there's that. Let the hate roll in! _


	5. Chapter Four: Meeting Lara

**Chapter Four "Meeting Lara."**

"Maybe we should find…maybe we should find your ship first," Kal responded but Kara grabbed him by the hand as the two floated side by side.

"We'll find it later, but right now we're going in circles if we don't know who took it," Kara responded as the two cousins hovered in the air, trying to keep themselves afloat.

"Well you know more about what happened then I do," Kal responded, hoping that the ship was within reach. He had a bad feeling about what happened, one that he could not place. The Last Son of Krypton knew that if Kara was wrong and that ship did trigger an explosion, countless would die.

They dropped down outside the caves, and Kal raised an eyebrow, wondering why Kara brought them back here of all places. The blonde remained focused as she craned her ears. After Chloe mentioned that Luthor and his henchmen were moving around the area, that gave her cause for concern. That would jeopardize a few of her plans to get him back here and that put the blonde on edge.

Fortunately there was no one here but a few insects, a few rats, nothing that bothered her all that much. Kal walked behind her as Kara turned around.

"Aunt Lara, he's here," Kara responded with a smile on her face.

"I can see that, welcome Kal-El, welcome my son," Lara responded as she greeted her son with a warm voice, nothing like the authorative tone that Jor-El used when he tried to say that Kal needed to follow his destiny.

Kal swallowed the lump in his throat; he always wondered what it would be like to meet his parents, his birth parents. Although the moment he met his father, he found his father to be something that was quiet lacking in any reasonable expectations to say the very least. And the way that his father decided to assert his control on him, even if his intentions were thought to be noble, it was frustrating.

However, there was something to be said about his mother and Kal had not met her until this very moment. He looked at the walls of the caves, nervously.

"I am Lara, your birth mother," Lara stated, this was one of the moments that she both looked forward to and made her nervous. Meeting her son in the flesh for the first time, she wondered about a few things but she supposed that she should draw in a breath and go forward through the meeting.

"It's….it's an honor to meet you," Kal responded, his voice flustered, he did not know what to say really.

"The honor is all mine and I am pleased to see that you have grown up to be healthy and strong," Lara responded, that was all a mother could have hoped for. "I hoped that you would be with someone that you could trust. Make sure to keep Kara close by, she will be a valuable asset as you grow into your potential. She is truthfully your greatest treasure."

"Is she now?" Kal asked but Kara squeezed his hand lightly.

"I've come here to help you, but I'm not quite sure what we're going to do," Kara responded as Kal looked at her.

"Why did my father tell me what he told me?"

Lara responded in a rather tense tone. "Your father, as he was, was a rather flawed artificial intelligence. He used a process to put his memories and his knowledge but none of his heart. I will not bash nor praise your father, Kal. He was a complex man and one of many layers. Do not think that any of his actions would have been anything other than for what he thought was the best."

"He cause me….he cause me to kill an innocent life through his actions," Kal responded as he hung his head.

"Yes, I am aware of the circumstances," Lara responded in a saddened voice. She empathized with Martha Kent as a mother, she could not imagine any woman going through the pain and suffering that came with losing a child. "But it is a mistake that you have made and nothing can return things back to the way they were previously. It would be foolish to meddle with the natural order of things. Remember that we should not hide from our mistakes but rather we should learn and grow from them, and build a foundation of our future."

Kal thought his mother spoke some words of wisdom and a smile crossed his face.

"Your father did have great hopes for you although he allowed them to be misinterpreted in a way where one could not be surprised about how you could lash out," Lara added in a crisp tone of voice.

"Imagine that," Kal stated, the bitterness dripping from his voice.

If Lara had a physical body, she would have smiled. 'As I have said previously, I will not condemn nor condone your father's actions, only remind you that he was a complex man and like many complex men, the noble nature of his actions could be lost in translation."

"It seems to me like he had big plans for me," Kal added.

Lara thought that while that statement was simplistic in many ways, it held a great deal of truth in many others.

"His plans were of a vast variety."

"And by that we mean convoluted."

Kara smiled, her cousin might have been as blunt to a hammer to the head but never the less, he did hit it immediately.

"He hid three stones on Earth for you to find," Lara responded first.

"Oh did he?" Kal asked, knowing this wasn't going to be easy to find them for some reason.

"And when he did so, he did not go to the present, rather he went to the distant past to hide them at strategic locations all around the world," Lara added which caused Kara to hold her hand up and slap her palm into her face. "There was much that was left to chance, I admit it but finding these three stones is the first step you must take. They hold all of our knowledge within them and is an extremely valuable asset that will help you."

Kal was intrigued at these words.

"Do you have any idea where these stones are hidden?" Kal asked, hopeful that she was going to make this easy.

"Whilst Jor-El's programming has been blocked from being a controlling force, he still has some passive abilities against me and thus he is blocking the location of the stones at this moment," Lara responded with frustration dripping from her tone.

"If Kal needs the stones, then he should cough up the information," Kara responded in a fierce voice, unable to believe this. It was vital information that they needed.

"Jor-El's ego has been wounded," Lara answered in a crisp voice.

"Ah," Kara cooed, although she found herself rather not caring about the situation or her uncle's ego being wounded.

"But we have time before morning, so I wish to learn about the life of my son," Lara stated.

Kal sighed. "Oh where to begin?"

Kara smiled. "The beginning is often a logical point."

* * *

"Do you mind explaining to me why we're going back to Metropolis first?"

Kara folded her arms as Kal walked beside her.

"Yeah, I got a few loose ends to tie up, and…."

Kara held up her hand and Kal stopped. The hotel room that Kal and Kara stayed in, they could hear someone on the other end of the door. The creaking was rather soft, rather subtle but they could hear it.

"Be careful," Kara whispered to Kal so only his super hearing could pick up her voice and Kal responded with a brisk nod.

The two of them made their way to the other side of the door and Kara reached forward, grabbing the door knob opened.

A barrage of gun fire hit both of the cousins in the blink of an eye. Not that it phased them giving their invunerablity but Kara was rather annoyed that the gunfire messed up her hair. She closed her eyes and caused the guns to rip out of the heads of the people who shot at the two Kryptonians, levitating them in the air.

"Telekinesis?" Kal asked in an awed voice whilst he watched Kara, impressed and she looked so hot when she was angry.

She grabbed one of the thugs by the throat and shoved him against the wall.

"You better talk," Kara responded, her eyes glowing fiercely.

The thug clammed up which gave Kara a certain amount of frustration and not to mention caused her fingers to twitch a little bit. The blonde's eyes glazed over, not patient about this situation at all and the slow and loud clapping that echoed around her did not improve her mood all that much.

There was a middle aged man standing before Kara and Kal, watching them.

"Impressive, very impressive, I had heard of Kal's exploits, but I didn't think that his number two would have been so skilled," the man stated as he stepped forward but backed off at the simmering gaze that Kara gave him. She looked like she could set him on fire if she felt inclined.

He knew when a dame looked at him like that way, it was time to take a step back and smell the roses.

"Who are you?" Kal demanded, and Kara had the similar demand.

"The name's Morgan Edge, I'm one of the top crime bosses in Metropolis, run a little racket known as Intergang," Edge responded as he watched these two, he wondered about the rumors coming down from the country, about people being empowered by the meteors. At first he discounted it as hocus-pocus but now seeing these two in action and them surviving something that they shouldn't have, well seeing was believing and they made a believer out of him.

"Great, so we know your name, but you're just scum that will go for a very short trip to a very bad landing," Kara responded, the residual RedK flaring up her temper, coupled with her protective instincts towards Kal.

"Well, you won't know that there's something going down if you eight six me, sweetheart," Edge responded as he looked at Kara with a leering expression.

Kara was so tempted to burn that expression off of him, oh believe her, she was. Cooler heads prevailed for the moment as Kal stepped forward with a burning glare directed towards Edge. He kept his temper in check as well, a lot better than Kara might have.

"What do you want with us?" Kal asked as his eyes glazed on Edge and the mobster's face twisted into a malevolent smirk.

Edge spun around and looked out the window. His men down on the ground, well they tempted fate by not getting out of the way fast enough. He tapped his fingers on the side of the window and his gaze darted all over the room.

"There is a vial of blood that has fallen into the possession of a certain, Mr. Lionel Luthor," Edge stated to him.

That was something that caught Kal's interest and Kara noticed the budding expression of interest that grew on her cousin's face. Now she was more than curious and she waited to see what he would have up his sleeve. The two of them stared down each other.

"It is a rather….simple job for someone of your talents but I think that Lionel is keeping a nasty little secret from me, reneging on a previous arrangement," Edge responded, crossing his hands together, leaving some mystery on his true motives.

"Tell me more," Kal responded as he wondered it.

"It's in one of his high security vaults at Luthorcorp, but that's not all that's down there, word is on the streets that he picked a certain something up out of Smallville."

If Kara's interest wasn't grabbed, it was now. Dare she….of course, they both figured that it was a possibility but if this Edge guy told the truth, it was now something that was moment's away from being confirmed. Her ship, whilst having the most valuable component missing, would still be dangerous in the hands of someone like Lionel Luthor.

"Do you have any more details?" Kara asked, folding her arms and watching Edge.

Edge, to his credit, did not flinch in the face of certain fire. Although he could not even begin to guess how accurate that thought would be, as if he made one wrong move and tried to shoot her cousin again, Kara would flash fry him to a crisp with her eyes. That was just that simple, there was nothing to it beyond that.

"I have only what I've heard on the street," Edge admitted but Kal stepped forward.

"How do we know that you're not lying?"

Morgan Edge's face spread into a calculating and quite conniving grin, once again Kara did not like that grin. It was something that sent an alarm of danger up in the back of her head.

"You're just going to have to trust me, Kal," Edge answered with a sinister glint in his eye. "Work with me, I'll even pay you money, big money. Or don't work with me and you might find some government agent getting a tip off. I'm sure you'll find a dissection table being more unpleasant than breaking in and stealing from Lionel Luthor."

Kara's temper, along with her eyes, flared up.

"She's a real firecracker, this one, isn't she?" Edge asked with a smirk.

Kara offered a smile that was quite telling, Edge did not know that he dug his own grave, freshly done. If he made one more move against her cousin, she would end him. Lara had essentially made her promise to protect her cousin by any mean's necessary.

And any mean's necessary could get very messy. The blood on her hands, it was not something that she looked too forward to but there were times where one had to get their hands dirty.

"What do you want me to do?" Kal asked, placing his arm on Kara's shoulder, he sensed trouble. While the RedK effects washed away a lot of Clark Kent's human traits, there was still a sense of morality that prompted him not to snap Morgan Edge's neck on sheer principle.

Although if he placed one finger or had one more bullet fired against his Kara, the bastard would be taking his chances. No one hurt anyone that he loved, and he would not allow them to make that mistake ever again.

"Get the blood," Edge stated as he watched Kal and Kara. "Meet me back here in three days."

Kal nodded and Edge moved away.

It was not until Edge and his men vacated the premises where Kal decided to pipe in with a few words.

"That's my blood," Kal whispered to Kara and Kara frowned.

"Why in the name of Rao would this Luthor have a vial of your blood?" Kara asked, putting a hand on her hip.

Kal frowned. "Well it isn't like I donated it to him…..long story."

"Tell me later," Kara responded as she frowned. "We have to destroy it, along with my ship immediately."

"Maybe we can hide your ship?" Kal suggested and Kara scoffed.

"Hide it where?" Kara asked as she crossed her arms. "That little dinky thing you came in, that can be hidden. My ship on the other hand, it can't be hidden."

"Okay, okay, point taken," Kal responded as he watched his cousin who had a smile on her face. "So, I'm guessing you have a plan."

It was for the longest time that Kara did not respond at all. She crossed her arms together, watching and waiting. There was an instant where she crossed her arms, frowning and answered.

"Yes, I have a plan."

Kal did not know whether to be excited or scared at this prospect.

* * *

The Luthorcorp facility after dark was a rather depressing and morose place. Kara and Kal stepped forward, keeping towards the shadows. The male Kryptonian watched his cousin as he stepped forward but Kara grabbed his wrist to stop him. This was an action that confused him but Kara raised her hand, shaking her head.

"Let's try a more subtle approach," Kara whispered as she gently worked open the control console. She used her X-Ray vision to study the technology.

"You sure you know how this works?" Kal asked and Kara nodded.

"Piece of cake, but we need to blank the cameras, just long enough to make sure Lionel doesn't see anything that's odd."

Kara did just that, tapping onto the cameras, and trying to figure out how to get everything down. The blonde bit down on her lip, folding her arms across her chest and she focused intently on the security.

"Problem?" Kal asked.

"A minute," Kara whispered, frustrated at how primitive that this security was. She could just nuke it but it would point out that both of them were here. That was something that they wanted to avoid.

The blonde stepped forward.

"Cameras are down for ninety seconds, so are the alarm sensors, we've got to move quickly,' Kara stated to her cousin and Kal nodded.

The group edged towards the surrounding structure, and moved down the hallway. Kara and Kal stood next to each other, hearing a humming sound through her ears. The blonde stood on edge, shaking her head and her heart beat a little bit, drumming a steady beat across her ribcage.

She saw the vault and used her X-Ray vision to lock onto the vault.

"Lionel's collecting those rocks," Kara whispered to him and Kal watched her carefully. "I know we were immune to them at the lake but it could be adrenaline….we better be careful here."

Kara grabbed the combination link on the vault, using her hearing to hear the clicks of the vault to get the combination. Kal watched, he had to admit, that he would have ripped the vault off of its hinges in his attempt to break into the vault.

There was a click, another click, and the vault swung open, as Kara smiled as she reached inside, seeing several of the rocks, some of them green but there were a few of the dreaded red rock, some blue rocks, and also the gold rocks.

"Do not touch the gold rocks ever," Kara whispered to Kal.

Kal raised an eyebrow and looked over towards her, a raised eyebrow given towards her.

"They will remove your ability to use your powers, forever," Kara stated as she used her mind to levitate the rocks out of harm's way.

This was the second time that Kara used this particular ability and she grabbed the vial in her hand. A smile crossed her face as she blinked and closed the vault door, before pursing her lips and blowing on it. Kal raised an eyebrow. "Removing my finger prints."

Kal didn't know how that worked but he was mentally taking notes about the creative ways that Kara was using her powers. It was amazing how she was utilizing them so there was something to learn from that.

"Now we've got one more thing to look for," Kara whispered as she moved to the next door. She shifted her ear and listened.

"We've got to find out a way into this ship."

"Luthor won't accept no for an answer."

Kara tried to open the door but it was locked.

"That's a key lock, you won't be able to get it open," Kal stated and Kara shrugged, before she twisted the door knob a little bit more and it popped off. He raised an eyebrow towards her. "What happened to being subtle?"

"Not now, Kal."

Kara flew down the steps and keeping through the shadows, before turning towards them, they were standing over her ship and touching her property. The blonde responded, she did not like when people touched her stuff. The blonde placed a pair of hands on her hips and pushed forward, before going around them.

"Who was there?"

Kara grabbed one of the people around the shoulder and caused him to drop down to the ground. The others rushed around, they were scientists, and not worth fighting. The blonde reached forward and grabbed them around the shoulders, before falling to the ground.

She reached forward and saw her ship standing there. They had not even scratched the surface.

"I can see why you don't want to hide this thing," Kal responded, watching and looking at the size of it. "How are we going to…."

Kara smiled, before she reached to the side compartment of the ship and pulled out a disc. The ship slowly rattled before them and Kal watched its progress as it vibrated at super speed. The ship started to rock from one side to the other, before it started to spin around like a top. It shifted for a little bit and crumbled to dust.

"That's all you needed to do?" Kal asked with a raised eyebrow and Kara nodded.

"Yes, that's it," Kara responded, as she pocketed the disc, she could likely rebuild the ship if she could but without a safe place to hide it, it was too dangerous for it to go around.

"What about the blood?"

Kara saw one of the scientists were scratched and she drew some blood from him. The blonde's lips curled into a smile.

"We'll give him his blood," Kara concluded.

They had to move quickly but they were there. Kara drew the blood from the scientists and placed it into a vial.

"Edge will get his blood," Kara breathed as Kal watched her, there was a certain amount of misgivings that was in his mind. "Trust me, Kal, it will work out."

She kissed him on the lips, before grabbing Kal and ushering him out the doorway, right before they were scene.

The cameras only caught a pair of blurs shooting out of the door, not one finger print or strand of hair was left behind. They were that good.

* * *

"Dare I ask what you two have been up to?"

Chloe asked this question to Kara and Clark as she met back up to them.

"Why would you think we are up to something?" Clark asked, throwing an arm around Kara, who offered an innocent smile. The truth was no one was fooled by the looks of innocence on either of their faces, Chloe especially. The blonde turned towards them, corking an eyebrow towards them.

"Clark, you can't keep an innocent act even if your life depended on it," Chloe responded as she watched him.

'_Tell her the truth,' _a voice echoed inside Clark's head.

There was a moment of indecision in Clark's mind, as he wanted to tell Chloe something, about who he really was but he wondered if things would ever be the same between the two of them. Pete found out about his secret and while they were still friends, there was something that told Clark that their relationship would never be the same ever again.

It was like a pendulum that weighed in Clark's mind. On the one side, his secret was a pretty big burden to hold. His parents held onto it for years but that was his parents and they were obviously much older and much more mature. They accepted the burden the moment where they found hand.

On the other hand, if Clark knew Chloe, she would find out eventually, she had a nosy streak a mile long and bless her for that. She would figure out the secret of Clark Kent before too long and then he would be in for it because he did not tell her ever. He felt that it was unfair to her in many ways but should he decide to tell or not to tell?

Clark's mind was a maelstrom of confusion.

The words he could say was so simple.

"Chloe, I have something to tell you."

Yet he did not say those words.

"Clark, earth to Clark!"

Chloe snapped her fingers and brought him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, Chloe, what is it?" Clark asked as Kara sat and stared, sipping on her soda, waiting for what he was going to do.

She had a sense to her cousin was going to take a huge step one way or another. The blonde waited and tapped her fingers, drumming the side of the cup and continued to drink the soda. Although she likely she not drink too many of these, as caffeine would play havoc on her powers, but still she was kind of edge after their little cloak and dagger act recovering the blood and destroying her ship.

"Sometimes I think you're from another planet, Clark," Chloe responded, shaking her head from one side to the next.

Kara tried very hard not to say anything to this extent, even though she was struggling to hold back her tongue.

'_No comment,' _Kara thought to herself as she shrugged her shoulders and sipped on her soda a little bit more.

"Chloe I…."

"Clark?"

There was a moment of awkwardness that hung through the air as Clark went eye to eye with his ex-girlfriend Lana Lang. Well they didn't really do that much dating or get anything done. And the more Clark thought about it, his pursuit of her was a very teenager thing to do but whilst her attractiveness could not be denied, there was a spark that lacked from them.

"Lana," Clark responded tensely after a moment and watched her.

Kara and Chloe locked eyes and both blondes had a "things might get kind of awkward" look in their eyes. There was a moment where time frozen.

It was almost like years passed into dust.

"So, I didn't know you were back from Metropolis," Lana responded as she watched Clark.

"Oh, I'm not back for long, Kara and I, we're trying to get a few things in order," Clark stated as he watched Lana.

Lana frowned and her eyes were fixed on the blue eyed blonde who sat there, wearing a black tank top and jean shorts, a casual smile crossed over her face as she watched Lana.

"Pleased to meet you," Kara responded as she watched Lana. "I'm Clark's girlfriend."

"Are you?" Lana asked, feeling sorry for the girl immediately. Given how much Clark flaked out, she couldn't help it.

Then again, she was over him just don't ask her to take a lie detector test or anything.

"Yes, Clark and I….we've bonded rather closely," Kara responded in a shameless tone of voice and she threw her arms around him in a possessive manner to test Lana's reaction.

If she acted in a manner that was reasonable and mature, then Kara might be a bit friendlier to her. If she acted in a jealous manner, then Kara was not going to be pull any punches with her. It was obvious that her and Clark were connected in the past and it did not work rather well.

"Well…congratulations," Lana responded with a tense sigh, feeling things get more awkward the longer than she stood here.

She saw this Kara's blonde hair, her blue eyes, smooth skin, developed bust area, taut smooth stomach without an inch of fat on it, curved hips, and long shapely legs. Lana thought that she should be a good friend to Clark and be happy for him. Yes, because it was obvious that they weren't going to be much more than that. They tried, they failed, no point in being bitter, part friends, be happy, live the rest of your life, all that jazz.

"And I mean that, you two, congratulations, I hope that you two make it work, better than we need," Lana stated, choking out that last statement.

"Are you alright?" Kara asked as she watched her.

"Fine, just…I'm fine," Lana responded as she turned around.

Really she did not know what she felt, after Clark's disappearing act, she wondered if he was mature enough for a real relationship. In some ways their relationship was so "high school". She wanted to take a step back and think about what she wanted to do before she pursued anything.

Clark on the other hand, thought that it was a healthy thing if he let go of Lana and let her move onto her life. It was going to be hard enough to explain her growing old and him not, because from what Kara and Lara told him, Kryptonians underneath the yellow sun age until they are in their middle twenties and then they stop aging after that. That would be a bitter pill to swallow and not to mention some sorrow for Clark.

"Lana, I'm sorry, I hope we can be friends," Clark responded trying to keep his relationship with Lana.

'_Oh, Clark, sentiment appreciated, but wrong thing to say to someone you just broke up with,' _Chloe thought to herself, hoping that cracking sound she heard was not Lana's heart crushing in to.

"Friends, yeah, sure, thanks Clark, glad our friendship is strong enough where there won't be bitterness."

"So did you hear about Lex?" Chloe asked, trying to deflect the subject away from shaky waters.

Clark, being out of the loop, shook his head.

"Well his plane went down and he's presumed dead at sea," Chloe responded as she informed Clark. "Apparently his bride made it back. So I'm sure the tabloids are having a field day saying that Helen knocked him off."

Clark could not believe it; Helen Bryce didn't seem like the type that would resort to cold blooded murder. Then again, there were many questions, like why the vial of blood she took from him ended up in the possession of Lionel Luthor. He destroyed the blood along with Kara.

"I don't think she would do anything like that," Clark responded but Kara eyed him.

"We never know people like we thought we did," Kara responded as she caught Chloe's eye in a meaningful gaze.

Chloe was curious although there were times where curiosity got the better of her.

To tell or not to tell, that was the question that went through the mind of Clark Kent. Chloe could handle it, although he wasn't sure about Lana, despite the brave face she was putting on after the break up.

Then again, Clark had to reassess what he knew about humanity, because despite living here for years and years, he found himself to be a bit lacking in his knowledge.

* * *

"And again, Kal!"

Kal dodged the flaming spikes that Kara hurled towards him during their drill. The more he worked with his cousin, the more he was curious about the powers that she exhibited. They were most certainly not like the normal Kryptonian abilities, she could levitated things with her mind, shoot fire from her hands, and shift the molecular structure of objects with a thought.

"That was decent," Kara responded as Kal looked at her. "Well it was, there's a ton of room for improvement but it could be far worse than it really is."

Kal folded his arms and watched her. They were currently training in a set of underground tunnels deep underneath the Kawatchee caves.

"Once we get the stones, we should be able to practice your powers a bit better," Kara responded and Kal looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "There are time dilution properties to the crystals, you can spend several months in training and it only being several hours in the outside world. We don't age but you can get a lot done in a short amount of time."

Kal nodded, he was sure that there was some level of scientific process towards that although trying to figure it out caused his head to spin around and swirl.

"The good news is that you're sustaining your levitation of yourself, which is the gateway to flying," Kara responded before she told him. "You're floating above the ground for far longer and that's not a bad thing, that's a good thing."

As Clark Kent, he did have a certain unease with heights but as Kal-El, he embraced his Kryptonian side more and more. He also noticed that he was able to focus his X-Ray vision a bit more, his heat vision also was controlled with less concentration, and Kara was slowly working him through his super hearing, ice breath, and super breath.

This was all done in a few days but flight was the trickiest power for him to master, even though Kara was pretty much insistent that it was the easiest. The blond threw her head back and sped down the tunnel.

"See how easy that is Kal," Kara responded with a smile as she watched him.

"It looks easy, but seeing and doing are two different things," Clark responded but it was then Kara grabbed him by the waist and floated with them to the top of the tunnel.

"You need some confidence and motivation, that's all," Kara responded as she tossed Clark.

Clark was taken off guard and was sent flying to the ground. He managed to stop hitting, floating a few inches off of the ground.

"Baby steps, Kal, see baby steps!" Kara cheered as she saw him floating. "You've done well today, and you're capable of a lot more."

Kal was glad to hear her confidence in him, that caused him a swell of pride. And the tight white top and jean shorts, along with her lack of shoes on her feet caused another part of him to swell for entirely different reasons.

Kara could sense his heightening arousal and pushed him back on the cave rocks.

"I think you've done so well today, that we should celebrate," Kara stated ,spreading her legs slightly before she straddled his lap. Her clothed crotch brushed up against his, her arms snaked around his neck, and her lips pursed with desire. "So what do you think, Kal? Are we up for a little celebration?"

She ground her covered mound onto his crotch, pulling off his shirt to reveal his sculpted chest. Kara placed her hands on his muscles and pushed him back. She pinned his arms to the ground and looked down into his eyes.

"So how about it, Kal?" Kara cooed in his ear, leaning down, her hot breath blowing on his ear. "Up for a little celebration."

Kara held both of his wrists in place with one of her hands and cupped his covered crotch with her right hand, squeezing his bulge in his pants. He closed his eyes, feeling the pressure of her strong hand against him.

"I think you are," Kara said huskily as she leaned forward and smashed her lips onto his with a kiss, which he returned. She ground on him, holding him in place, and pulled back to kiss the side of his neck, leaving love bites all over his neck.

His hands were freed and they found her shirt, the blonde biting her lip.

**Lemon Scene Begins.**

-PROFILE-

**Lemon Scene Ends. **

Kara pulled out a basket lunch, well technically it would be dinner, maybe breakfast by the time that they were done. The two sat on the ground and began to eat, still naked.

"Lara is trying to find out about the stones, let's hope she drags up something tomorrow," Kara responded, the sooner they found the stones, the sooner they could begin the Fortress, and the sooner Kara really had all the time in the world to help bring Kal-El up to speed where he should have been by the age of seventeen on Krypton, the better.

**To Be Continued In The Next Arc "Seek and Find". **


	6. Chapter Five: Seek and Find Part One

**Chapter Five: "Seek and Find Part One."**

Training was going on smoothly enough as far as Kara was concerned, even though she did admit that Kal had a few more steps to go before he would and should be considered ready for anything. The blonde retained a huge chunk of the optimism she had before her and hoped that her cousin would be able to decide what he needed to do to tap into his full Kryptonian powers and heritage.

His human upbringing was something that Kara was curious about but it did put him a few steps back in some ways and she needed to work in coaxing those things that should be natural out of him. The Red Kryptonite was a blessing in disguise, as Kal locked into more of his heritage than he would have otherwise. He was able to utilize his powers more and more, even though it was only five out of the big six. The flying was a tricky one to deal with but Kara expressed confidence that he would tap into that one in due time.

"Kal do not become frustrated if you are unable to do certain things, your body is still growing and you have not reached full maturity," Kara responded to him as the two walked down towards the caves to visit Lara on that day. "There are three stages of Kryptonian development."

Kal's interest was piqued and he raised an eyebrow, slowly turning towards Kara.

"What are they?"

Kara was only too happy to explain the situation to him.

"The first stage of Kryptonian development happens when they reach fourteen years of age. You may have noticed certain urges manifesting themselves and your powers growing in strength and frequency. I would not be too far off base in thinking that, would I?"

Kal nodded stiffly, she was pretty close to the mark. He discounted the changes at first, after all, puberty did tend to describe a lot of those changes. Kara grabbed Kal's hand and squeezed him tightly.

"And there's a second change, anywhere from around eighteen to twenty years of age, where your power suffers another spike and shifts," Kara responded as she watched him. "I just went through this change recently myself and you'll go through it too pretty soon. Your body absorbs yellow solar energy much more efficiently than you have had previously although you'll need some assistance with fine tuning it."

"Right,' Kal responded before he turned to his cousin. Her face brightened up with a smile. "And what is this third change?"

Kara was all too prompt to answer. "The third change comes when you are about twenty four or twenty five years ago. You have your full powers and thus your full maturity, you will remain that way without aging."

Kal hung his head when he thought about the frustrating fact.

"We live longer than our human friends, don't we?" he responded but Kara threw her arms around Kal, pulling him into a tight hug.

"I'm afraid so, Kal, but that makes us cherish the people that are around us while they are here, as long we can," Kara responded, as she tightened her grip further, increasing the intensity of the embrace.

The two shared a moment, the truth of the matter was that they would be here far longer than many of the people that they knew and interacted with every day. Friends, enemies, casual acquaintances, if they were normal, they would outlive them if they were human, but that was the fact of the matter. The blonde wished that there was another way.

"You'll be alright, cherish them whilst we can," Kara told him in a gentle voice as the two walked towards the area of the cave. The two of them stood next to each other.

That would have been another barrier towards a relationship, that was something that Kal reminded himself. Of course, when life closed a door it opened a window.

"So I've noticed that you've had powers that I seem to be lacking," Kal stated, feeling that now was the time to call Kara out on this little fact.

Kara's face flushed with a slight smile, she was guilty as charged.

"Well we all have different skills without powers, so why wouldn't they manifest in different ways?" Kara asked as she shifted against the wall.

"Telekinesis?" Kal inquired and Kara smiled.

"Indeed, and telepathy," Kara responded before she added in a mischievous tone. "Which means, I can sense that you're imagining me naked right now."

Kal flushed for a moment and Kara laughed, before she stood on her tip toes and gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek.

"Don't worry, it's very flattering but the real thing is much better," Kara commented as she threw her arm around him. "And there's….the ability to shoot fire from my hands. I can't quite control it."

"So you're pryokinetic," Kal stated.

"In a manner of speaking," Kara answered, folding her arms together but she decided that there was more than enough information. She had not begun to tell Kal about her special abilities, that she had even before the yellow sun. "But that's beside the point and please don't worry yourself about what I can do and what you cannot do. Worry about focusing on the powers you know you have and then we'll worry about any other powers as they manifest themselves."

Kara thought she got the message rather clear and she smiled.

"And now it's time for us to see if your mother uncovered anything about our birthright," Kara stated and the two walked into the cave.

"That insufferable man."

Kal did not have to even think for a second whom Lara was talking about, the inflection in her voice was more of a dead giveaway of who she referred to.

"Mother," Kal responded as she inclined her head with a brief nod.

"Greetings, my son, Kara, I hope that both of you are well," Lara responded, thinking about how Jor-El made his AI to be more insufferable than he could ever be in real life at his worst.

She recalled the times that she exiled Jor-El to his lab from their bedroom, because he got on her nerves. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that was not a punishment as much as it was a reward. If she really truly hoped to punish Jor-El, then she would ban him from his lab. That would really be a punishment for him but that was beside the point.

"We're fine, Aunt Lara,' Kara responded with a bright smile before she got down to business, clearing her throat for a moment. "So have you made any progress with finding the three stones of power?"

"Jor-El is being difficult but I managed to unearth the information from him," Lara responded as she paused for a moment before she continued to press on. "The stones are located at three separate points on Earth. I have been able to find the general location of two, whilst I cannot track the third."

"Where are they?" Kal asked in an impatient tone.

Lara was only too happy to say. "They are located in the countries of Libya and China. The third stone, I have a theory that it is located on some remote island as well, although exactly where that might be, I cannot say."

"We'll find them, don't worry, we'll find them all," Kara responded with confidence.

"Yes, we'll find them," Kal answered but he paused. "It might be tricky to get there…."

"Yeah it isn't like one of us can't easily fly out there," Kara responded in a sarcastic tone of voice and Kal shrugged his shoulders.

"Good point," Kal responded but he thought about everything that occurred today.

Despite it all, there was something that he had to do and he had been wrestling with himself for a long time. There was a thought in his mind.

"We'll search for the first stone after I take care of something," Clark responded, figuring that honesty was the best policy and it was time to make a really huge decision.

He had two chances that he could have told the truth to her in the past few days that he blew. The phrase the third time was in fact the charm spoke to him.

* * *

Chloe got a message from Clark saying that they needed to talk and to meet in the park outside Smallville. She wondered if she really wanted to know, the mystery of Clark Kent had been something that she longed to solve but there was another voice that echoed through her mind. There was an instant of self-doubt but she washed that away, there was no time to worry about anything that happened in the past.

There was a chance where Chloe would hear the full story of why Clark did what he did. Not to mention why he pulled a runner. Would there be answers she received or even more questions? That was something that she determined after a little bit and the blonde swayed her hips a little bit. The female put her hands on said hips and peered up to the heavens.

"So Chloe."

"Hey Clark."

Two statements, short, blunt, and direct, and something that neither of them wanted to say and both waited for the other to make the first move, but thankfully it was brief.

"There's something that I have to tell you, or rather there's something that I have to show you," Clark responded, wrapping his arm around Chloe. She flinched at the sudden contact but remained calm and cool all things considered.

"So what…."

Clark held Chloe and jumped high into the air, making sure there were no witnesses. Chloe's eyes widened as she saw Clark float them a few inches above the ground, before he dropped down to the ground.

"Oh my….you're one of them," Chloe managed, clapping her hands over her mouth but when she realized what she said. She backtracked as fast as she shook her head. "No, no, that sounds bad, doesn't it?"

"Kind of, Chloe," Clark said with a brief smile crossing his face.

"So you were infected by the meteors?" Chloe asked, brushing her hair out of her face and Clark watched her with a set jaw.

This was going to be fun to explain.

"I wasn't Chloe," Clark answered, in fact the meteors did hurt him up until the moment where he met Kara. There was something between the two of them, where their combined strength shielded them from the Kryptonite. It was hard to explain and it almost sounded tacky. "I'm….well I wasn't born here."

"You weren't born in Smallville?" Chloe questioned but then she got it, it hit her immediately with the force of a well-placed thump over her head. The blonde could not believe how hopelessly naïve she was. "Oh, I….you are….but you look so much like us."

"What did you expect, all aliens have green skin, bug eyes, and ask you to take me to your leader?" Clark asked and Chloe shook her head.

"No, that wouldn't be inconspicuous at all, I guess," Chloe responded swiftly, blinking.

It was a lot for her to take in but at the same time, he was the same Clark. The same loveable dork that she had been friends with for all of these years, that's who Clark was. She breathed in and out, before she let that settle in her mind.

"So….you're different, that would explain so much," Chloe replied as she stepped back. "But surely you can do more than jump really high."

Clark aimed his heat vision, carving a symbol, an "S" wrapped into a shield in the tree. He stepped back and watched. Chloe applauded him in spite herself; she had a wide ear to ear grin on her face.

"So what else can you do?" Chloe asked and Clark hitched in a deep breath, before he blew sticks into a neat pile. "Very nice….very nice."

"I can also hear a pin drop from halfway across town," Clark offered to her and Chloe watched him, inclining her head with a nod.

"And what else?"

"I have X-Ray vision," Clark stated and Chloe turned around, placing a hand on her hip. "I can see through objects."

"Does this include clothes?" Chloe asked and Clark nodded, which caused Chloe to cover herself up and Clark to get some amusement out of her suddenly modest reaction.

"Relax Chloe, I've never used it for that purpose," Clark responded and Chloe watched him, a skeptical expression on her eyes.

"Never?" Chloe asked, in a disbelieving voice. She knew that if she had X-Ray vision, she would abuse it for nefarious purposes.

"Well almost never," Clark said before a smile crossed his face. "A gentleman never tells."

Chloe nodded, accepting that for now but there was one more point that was on her mind.

"So what about Kara? Is she from out of this world as well?"

"Yes, she is," Clark answered, wondering if he should tell Chloe the complete truth. "We're from a planet known as Krypton, a highly advanced civilization that is much like humanity. Only we were millions of years ahead."

"Were?" Chloe asked, catching the word. She looked over her shoulder.

"Don't worry, we're alone, and Kara's making sure we won't be disturbed," Clark responded as he crossed his arms.

"That's good," Chloe responded as she crossed her arms and sighed. "But you didn't answer the question."

Clark placed a hand on his chin which mostly was for dramatic effect more so than anything else.

"Our planet is gone, it blew up shortly after that I was born," Clark explained and Chloe watched him, letting this all sink in.

It was sobering to here an entire world gone just like that.

"I'm sorry," Chloe stated as she watched him, wondering if she truly knew anything about Clark. "So Kara….did she grew up on Earth as well?"

"No, she was on Krypton, she was stuck in her ship and didn't age for almost fifteen years," Clark added and Chloe folded her arms. "Her mother did know mine in a matter of speaking."

Chloe thought of something, there was much more to what was going on with Clark and Kara than met the eye.

"She just decided to hook up with you on a whim?" Chloe questioned him, trying to piece that together in her mind and Clark made sure no one was there.

"She has to help me, it's her duty to do so, being the oldest female relative I have," Clark offered and Chloe looked at him like he grew two heads. "We're cousins."

The wind blew and Chloe stood there, remaining calm and collected, although her mind was going a few miles a minute. Much time passed before she said something.

"I see."

There was a moment where there was some awkwardness but Clark broke the ice.

"Look, it's different on Krypton…"

"Clark if you think that there aren't taboos broken here on Earth regarding cousins, then you're far more secluded than I thought you were," Chloe replied trying to give him a warm grin to lighten the mood and she placed her hand on his. "It's okay Clark, it's a free world. If I'm not going to judge you for being alien then I'm not going to judge you for knocking boots with your cousin."

Clark smiled, that was a relief.

"Others might, even though I should, I won't," Chloe continued, shifting her arms and watching Clark. "But you can take one thing to the bank, no matter what, you're secret is safe with me."

Clark raised an eyebrow. "Promise?"

"I'd rather die than betray your trust," Chloe responded, crossing her arms and nodding her head, leaning forward and hugging Clark. "I thought….but it doesn't matter."

Chloe decided that she valued her friendship with Clark beyond everything else and that was something that she would not break.

"So, I really needed to clear that up before I leave," Clark responded and Chloe released the grip that she had on Clark.

"So wait, you drop this huge bombshell on my head about who you are and you're leaving?" Chloe asked in an alarmed voice and Clark nodded.

"It's something to do with my heritage, it's something that I need to do, trust me when I say this, it's important," Clark told her and Chloe crossed her arms.

"Okay, Clark, but I think you should at least check in with your parents before you leave," Chloe responded and Clark turned towards her. "It's just a suggestion, no need to…."

"I'll….I don't know," Clark responded, if he saw his parents one more time, it might have been hard to say goodbye. "I'm not leaving until tonight, Kara and I, we're heading to Libya."

"Bit out of the way, isn't it?" Chloe joked.

"It's really not a problem for flight," Clark responded as he watched Chloe, the nervous expression in his eyes. He cleared his throat before he locked eyes with her. "So take care."

"You too Clark, you too," Chloe responded, drawing in the breath and drawing it out.

Clark walked off where Kara was waiting.

"So she took it better than you expected, didn't she?" Kara asked and Kal nodded, which caused her to smile. "Good, I would hate to have had to wipe her memories."

"You can do that?" Kal asked but Kara smiled a mysterious smile before she scooped up Kal and trafficked him into the sky back to Smallville.

"Yes, with a memory erasing kiss," Kara remarked in a deadpan tone of voice.

* * *

The super powered Kryptonians dropped back down beside the caves but could not go inside right away. Kara made sure the two of them were out of the line of sight before they heard voices and they were not the welcoming kind of voices either. They were voices, words that caused them to tense up a little bit.

"It's almost like there's somewhere here."

"Nah, there isn't anyone here," the voice responded as he peaked over his shoulder.

'_Well not anymore,' _Kara thought tensely, standing beside her cousin. The blonde bit down on her lip, chewing on it and waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Morgan Edge stole something from Luthor, did you hear about that?"

"Really, what happened?"

Kal and Kara were both interested in what was being said and they leaned in closer to hear what was being said. Both Kryptonians did not have to wait long before they found out what was being said.

"Edge tried to sell it back to him, ransom it even. But it turns out the blood wasn't what Lionel wanted. It's gone, gone forever."

"Really."

"Well Mr. Luthor has Edge in a bind as he has to get the blood back or else."

"Or else what?"

"How should I know, I don't ask about it."

Kara and Kal floated above the ground, wondering if their little gambit with the blood was going to backfire. They never found out what Edge wanted with the blood. That part remained a mystery to both of the super powered cousins and they did kind of fear what lengths he might go to when he found out that he had been duped.

"Maybe we should have taken care of Edge," Kara whispered to Kal.

Kal's eyes contorted towards her before he spoke slowly and swiftly. "By take care of him, do you mean…."

"Yes, Kal, I mean just that," Kara responded, she really hoped that her cousin was not going to be that dense but she supposed that there were times where it could not be helped. Human morals worked rather well, unless of course they were dealing with dangerous people that would kill them if given the chance. "I don't really like it any more than you do but sometimes to save ourselves and those closest to us, there needs to be certain sacrifices made."

Kal turned towards her and began to speak but Kara placed a finger on his lips.

"It's not a conversation that I wish to have now," Kara responded and Kal's head inclined with a slight nod, smiling for an instant. "Just think about what needs to be done."

Kal found himself with another concern that he needed to address.

"Do you think they'll find out anything about the caves?"

Kara's smile widened but she shook her head never the less.

"No, it's fine, Lara will make sure they don't get a hint of what's down there or even what we were doing below."

Kara realized the unintentional innuendo of what she said and smiled but she reached to the side and gripped her cousin's arm gently.

"We have a lot of work to do and not too much time to do it."

Kal nodded, that much was for sure. Given that he could not fly just yet, although he was starting to get the hang of the floating aspect, Kara had to guide him. She levitated him into the air with her powers and helped guide him all the way to the potential location of the first stone.

As both of them flew, there were times where Kara briefly allowed Kal to "fly" on his own accord. Her theory that he would be able to fly if he believed that someone else was aiding him was starting to work out rather well. Now she had to work on it being more natural and then the two of them could have some real fun.

Kara smiled and had to pat herself on the back for her teaching abilities, she taught him so much in such little time. And there was so much more for both of them to do, she could not even begin to scratch the surface.

* * *

Libya was an area that there was a lot of miles to cover, a lot of land to get across. To be honest, Kara was not really sure where to begin with but she had a shrewd idea what needed to be done. It was a matter of finding the right place, something that would give them a hint.

Jor-El personally went back in time to hide the stones, to give Kal-El a trial. A trial that he would have to accomplish on his own, which was something that Kara was not too fond of. Then again, there were a lot of things about Jor-El that Kara wasn't too fond of. That was just the nature of her uncle, he was someone who have gotten his way or the highway.

"So keep your eyes open for something, anything," Kara told her cousin, levitating him in the air beside herself. "Observation is something that we need to learn if we are going to grow as people."

Kal nodded his head, trying to observe and to lock onto everything that was going on around him. He needed to focus on everything, to feel everything that was going on around him. Kara guided him a little bit but there was so much more that he could do.

Close your eyes and focus, that was what Clark did and he listened, sensed, and tried to immerse himself into the land. Tap into the history around it, feel the pulse of the history that was around it. Breath in and breath out, his powers were much more than what he thought at first. He could do things that normal people could only dream about and he breathed in and he breathed out, taking the lay of the land in.

"Do you feel that moment, Kal?" Kara asked and Kal responded with a nod. "I imagined you would, there are things down there, things that are all around us. All we have to do is feel them, and they will be ours."

It took Kal only a brief flash of thought and he pointed downwards towards a temple area. It was hidden from the human eye and it would take months for them to dig it up if they did not have their powers.

"Something tells me that our clue for the stone is down there," Kal replied but there were crew people down there.

Kara frowned before she closed her eyes and sighed.

"And someone else has found the stone as well."

"That can't be helped, we're just going to have to be a bit more creative in getting it," Kal responded as he placed his arm around Kara's slender waist and the blonde smiled.

"Yes we will," she agreed, creativity was one of the key aspects of a Kryptonian and she was glad that her cousin got a hold of that point.

They scoped out the scene around them, both of them carefully watching for the moment. Their breath hitched in and their breath hitched out. The pair of them dropped down to the ground, making sure they were not seen.

"We can't get past this area, we're going to have to abandon the mission until we get better tools."

Kara smiled, they might not be able to get past that area but the fact of the matter was that Kal and herself could. The blonde's smile got wider, as she walked forward and pressed an ear up to the edge of the entrance. The people long since having moved away.

Kal copied her motions, holding his ear towards the edge of the temple. He heard a humming from behind the door and stood rather tense. Seconds ticked by mentally as he continued to listen for what was on the other side. He heard it, he heard everything.

"I can sense it," Kal whispered to Kara in an excited tone of voice.

"Good, you're putting your training so far to good use, now make sure you look before your leap," Kara encouraged him and Kal nodded, smiling widely.

He focused his X-Ray vision on the other side of the wall and narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what was on the other side. There was something on the other side, it was a pedestal of some sort, and he placed his hands on the wall. With a sigh, he shifted the wall, trying to get through it, causing everything to crack on the one side.

They entered the temple, clouds of dusts surrounding around them as Kara and Kal stepped forward. There were three pots on three separate shelves, all of the identical.

"Couldn't make this easy, could he?" Kal asked and Kara smiled.

"It was always supposed to be a test, as you can see," Kara responded, placing her hand on that of her cousin. "Just focus, the world is yours and you can find what you need."

The stone was near and Kal sensed it, he reached forward and the vase cracked a little bit, before it slid out to his hand.

"Fake," Kal breathed and Kara smiled.

"Figured as much, he would put decoys," Kara stated as she saw a section of the floor that was a bit off balance but she wondered if Kal saw it as well.

Kal's observation was going as planned and Kara smiled, she was so proud of him. He pulled back the section of the floor and saw the stone lying there, taunting the pair of them.

It was humming and Kal picked up the stone, closing his eyes.

To be honest, he half expected some kind of trap to go off but there was nothing other than the stone that was held in his hand.

"One down, two to go," Kara responded as she threw her arms around Kal and gave him an excited kiss in celebration. He wrapped his strong arms around her and returned the kiss heatedly. The blonde relaxed in his arms.

"But I'd be a lot more secure if we get the stone back home," Kal responded and Kara pulled away, agreeing with a nod and smile. She would have to agree that she would feel a bit more ease with the stone safely back home.

They managed to put a decoy in the hole just in case anyone comes across it. Kara was almost certain that there were legends about the stones and the two Kryptonians shot off, one stone down and two more to go.

* * *

They returned outside the caves, walking forward, and taking a moment to catch their breath. They thought that they would be gone for weeks and weeks but it was only two or three days. Of course, that was just the first stone and they practiced some training exercises with each other in the downtime.

It was best for the both of them if they returned home and got the stone safely back to the cave. There was a location that was set up previously and they would make sure that no one would find it.

"I can't believe how easy that one was," Kara remarked in an off handed voice as she crossed her arms and shook her head, guiding Clark towards the cave.

"That just means that the other two will be…"

"No, they'll be just as easy," Kara stated in confidence, she did not want things bogged down by negative thinking. She wanted to succeed and get the stones, so they could build the Fortress. "Don't worry, Kal, everything will be fine."

They entered the cave, ready to go.

"I trust your trip was without problem."

"Yes, it was, we've had the first stone," Kara told Lara, holding it in her hand with a triumphant smile. She was really happy that they did not have to do too much to track down that particular stone but their work was only a third of the way done.

There was a slot in the wall and Kara placed the stone inside.

"When the three stones combine, they will create a crystal that will allow your Fortress to be created and the two of you can perfect your powers," Lara responded to them but she offered them a word of warning. "I may not agree with Jor-El on many things but I will agree that this stone should not fall into human hands, for it would be a catastrophe."

Kal inclined his head with a nod and breathed heavily. "I understand."

He understood that there was some kind of journey that he would be on, perilous as it might be.

"We're going to make sure no one finds it, but any luck on the location of the third stone?" Kal asked his mother.

Lara sounded apologetic. "Getting information from your father has proven to be a laborious process, although he has changed little since when he was alive."

Kal and Kara turned around but he thought about it on the way back and there was something that the Clark Kent side of him, well he needed to do it for closure.

Jonathan and Martha Kent were for all intents and purposes his parents, the only ones he remembered, the ones that raised him; even though he appreciated his Kryptonian heritage even more as he spent time with Kara. It was a journey of discovery and fulfillment. Kal understood that and understood that there were many things that he had to do.

"I need to speak with them," Kal stated as he watched Kara.

"I understand, but you do have a difficult choice," Kara told him as she closed her hand around his, giving him a tight grip. "You close the door on your human life completely and there might not be any turning back."

"Do you think that I can….you know."

"Have the best of both worlds?"

Kara watched Kal's reaction, or maybe it was Clark this time. Of course they were two sides of the same coin, useless without the other. Clark Kent, Kal-El, each had much to learn from the other, in ways that even Kara could not fathom.

"I don't know."

That answer was honest and the two cousins floated next to each other in near silence. There was a lot about Earth that Kara knew but there was a lot that she struggled to understand. She only had a small amount of satisfaction when she realized that her cousin felt the same struggles despite being here far longer.

There were cars outside of the Kent Farm and the windows were shattered. There was a license plate belonging to Morgan Edge out there.

Kal's blood ran cold and he feared the worse.

Kara grabbed Kal's wrist, hoping that this was not as bad as things looked but things did look rather dire.

There was a muffled sound from inside which indicated that whoever was held there was alive and that was a good sign.

Bullets wouldn't hurt Kal and Kara but the Kents….well they were quite vulnerable to them.

**To Be Continued in the Next Chapter. **


	7. Chapter Six: Seek and Find Part Two

**Chapter Six: "Seek and Find Part Two."**

Kal clenched his knuckles together to the point where they went white. He blamed himself for this and everything that happened. He arched his head forward and listened intently. It was a mark of the respect that Kara had for him that she did not say anything. Although she was blaming herself just a tiny bit for this entire fiasco. There was the fact that if she did not encourage him to switch the blood, this would not be happening.

Of course, there was no time to wallow in personal self-pity, now was the time for some decisive action and the blonde watched and waited. Kal would make his move all too soon and Kara was going to defer the best judgment to him. It would remain true if any of the lessons that she taught him stuck.

Kal thought one thing and one thing only.

'_Diversion, need a diversion,' _Kal thought to himself as he placed his hands on the side of his face. _'And that diversion will need to be good….all of these powers…so many things that I can do and so many ways that I can screw up, but I can't let my parents get hurt….after all they've done, I just can't do it."_

Kal pondered for a brief moment as he cupped his chin and moved forward, before he aimed his heat vision towards the brush pile outside the house.

It lit up and caused sparks to fly through the air. He grabbed Kara by the arm and they ducked away, looping around to the other side of the house. The two Kryptonians stood rigid, waiting and watching, hoping that their little diversion worked. Time froze to a slow and torturous crawl as they waited, watched.

Two ticks of the clock, existing in that moment of time ,between the second hands.

Footsteps echoed and Kal and Kara locked eyes.

'_Still safe,' _Kal thought as he saw his parents through the windows, both of them were hunched over but at least he could hear their heart beats and their breath.

One of the thugs moved around, circling the premises, and Clark quickly plucked the man's feet out from underneath him, and caused him to spin around, before landing like a spinning top onto his face.

'_One down,'_

Kal used his super speed, going one way, before he caused a diversion with his super breath.

The thug moved around and Kara used her heat vision to cause the gun in his hand to heat up and burn, melting into his hand. Then Kal moved forward, grabbed him around the head, and exerted enough force where the nerve pinch dropped him to his knees and then the thug blacked out, smacking his head against the wood floor as he dropped.

Another thug went down with a well-placed sleeperhold.

He fell down to the ground and a punch to the kidneys knocked another thug for a loop. The thug's legs buckled out from underneath him, knees knocking together as he slid down to the ground. Kara offered Kal a knowing smile, but their work was only half done.

He listened for the noise inside the house, keeping his hands on his hips and trying to focus on what he needed to hear. It took some work but he managed to pick up on what was happening on the other end. The Kryptonian took a moment to focus and create a strategy.

"If you don't tell us where your son is, we'll take you out and we won't have any qualms about doing it."

Kal frowned, no one threatened his family, whether they were human or Kryptonian, that was something that he would take to the bank. He drew himself back and positioned himself, seeing the two thugs standing behind Martha and Jonathan, guns pointed out of the back of their heads.

"We don't know what you want with Clark."

"He's screwed us over and someone is going to have to pay the price."

That was one voice that Clark could pinpoint with his hearing with picture perfect accuracy and that slimy, sleazy voice dripped with malice. His eyes glared, his fists clenched together, and he gritted his teeth.

'_Stay calm, don't freak out, do not draw attention to yourself,' _ Clark thought to himself as he lined up the door and tried not to make a sound.

One sound and he could spook the gunman. One sound and he could cause his parents to get killed and he might not be fast enough to block it.

It was time for action; it was time for him to show what he could do with his powers. Kara stood behind him, watching and observing, ready to jump in, in the event that things got bad. His eyes narrowed as he walked forward and tried to open the door swiftly and discreetly.

There was a five second margin of error in between opening the door and slipping inside, where they might be able to notice him. So he was going to slip inside and without another word, stepped inside.

He moved behind the gunman. His parents made a brief moment of reaction but to their credit they did not say anything. That would make his ability to swoop in and take care of business and move in efficiently. He decided to step in and do it, and take them out one shot at a time.

There was a loud crash and one of the gunmen went flying, the second went flying, and then with another swift motion Kal had his hand on the throat of Edge, before slamming him against the wall.

"You've made a mistake," Kal snarled as he clasped his hand around the throat of Edge who twitched a moment but then a smug look crossed his face.

"You won't get me, they'll be gunned down, they're outside this house, all I have to do is clear my throat," Edge gasped as Kal's grip relaxed slightly and sure enough he cleared his throat.

There was nothing, not one sound, not even a peep and Kal tightened his grip around the throat of this man, causing him to slump against the group. The air left his throat.

"We could work together, the two of us, we'll be unstoppable," Edge managed, blood pouring down his mouth.

"I don't work with garbage, I dispose of it," Kal responded coldly, as he speared Edge head first into the wall.

Morgan Edge slumped down to the ground, his eyes rolling into the back of his head, as the blood poured down his mouth. Kal stepped back, angry at this man who threatened his family, and angry at himself for putting them in this position. He wasn't going to stand back and take this shit any more, sometimes one had to do what they had to do and what Clark had to do was attack him.

* * *

Edge was deposited by Kal and Kara, along with his men, they should be found by the authorities in a short while.

"Clark, I don't think you should have done what you did," Jonathan stated in a reprimanding tone of voice.

"Dad, what would have let me do, let them shoot you and Mom in the head?" Clark asked, feeling that he was completely in the right to take steps to protect them. Sure he was a little rough on Edge but that son of a bitch deserved it. He could have snapped his neck just like that.

Martha frowned as she looked at her son and saw the hurt in his eyes, the hurt that he had to take rougher means. With the dangerous people that he had to deal with, a part of her expected that this would happen. Like it or not, she knew that Clark would have to make some dangerous choices, choices that her or Jonathan might not be proud of but they would have to respect. Life was not all sunshine and roses; there were some tough decisions that he had to make.

"I…."

"Clark….you were under a lot of pressure, but you got to understand that you need to pick your shots wisely," Martha told him as she nervously considered him. She did not want to condone what her son did but she did not want to condemn it either.

Clark threw his hands into the air.

Jonathan reigned in his temper and remained calm despite everything that occurred. It had been a rather hard few weeks for all of them, although it did seem like it was much longer. It was time for them to simmer down, take their cool, keep cool and hope that things could be worked out, about as well as they could.

"So, you've decided to come home, son."

"I've told you that there are things that I have to do with my life," Clark reminded him as he looked his father in the eye. "Did you ever want to do something so bad, but was afraid that something was holding you back?"

Martha looked at her son with a sympathetic expression on her face, there were times where she had doubts about what she had to do. Of course, the thing that she was most proud of was the young man standing before her, so there was going to be some hard decisions that he was going to have to make.

"Clark, you think you have this calling in life, but do you think that you've allowed Jor-El to influence you a little bit too much?" Jonathan asked as he eyed his son, although he appreciated how stubborn Clark was being. He might have had the same conversation with his father at this age, had the roles been reverse. Even if Clark was adopted, he adopted everything, including the Kent trait of being too stubborn for his own good.

Clark pondered this, there were times where he had his doubts but he could not allow those doubts to manifest with him. He wanted to look his father in the eye.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry, sorry about everything that I put you and Mom through," Clark said as he kept his eyes locked onto his parents. They would always be his parents, even after he moved on.

"Clark….what is done is done," Jonathan stated as he watched Clark, although the fact that the baby was lost, that was never going to be something that they were going to get through. But by the actions of Jor-El, it nearly cost them two children. "I just fear what Jor-El is going to do next, he's not going to let you get away."

"Jor-El won't be a problem any longer."

Kara stated this, having spoken up for the first time and the Kents watched her, nervously, this strange girl who had showed up was most certainly an enigma to them. They doubted her intentions but the fact that Clark was in one piece proved that she was sincere as she said she was. The blonde offered a bright smile towards them.

"I inserted a crystal into the cave wall that disabled his programming," Kara explained to them as she kept her eyes on the Kents. Their reaction was kind of hard to read, although she figured that they would be able to understand a lot. "Most of us do have more than one parent, at least that's how it works on Krypton. And Lara….she will be much kinder in helping guide Clark, trust me."

"Clark seems to think that he needs to do something," Jonathan retorted carefully, not sounding too accusatory but at the same time, he was not going to back down either.

Kara placed her hands on her hips and threw her head back; she had a feeling that this was not going to be a pleasant conversation at all. She wanted to respect the Kents and she could not understate how much she appreciated them keeping an eye on her cousin during all of those years. Yet at the same time, Clark did have a greater calling, and a much greater purpose than sitting here on a farm.

Fortunately it was not Kara who answered, rather it was Clark. He turned towards her, an appraising look on his face.

"Kara, do you mind if I have a talk with my parents, alone?" Clark asked as he watched her.

"Clark, no, it's fine, talk to you later," Kara responded, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back in a couple of hours after you've discussed this."

Kara sped off, without another word other than this, which left the Kents curious about how Clark and Kara reacted around each other. Kara stated that she was his cousin from Krypton, but she was not acting like it, acting more like a girlfriend or a lover than anything else.

Clark wondered if she would get into too much trouble without him but then again, he realized that Kara could take care of herself rather well.

He had some explaining to do.

* * *

Chloe walked outside of the Daily Planet offices and looked up, the internship…well it was a mixed bag all things considered. They seemed to sour when she told Lionel that she was not interested in his little offer and there was a sense that she just ended up blackballing herself. The blonde crossed her arms and blew the air out from her face. She might as well return to Smallville after everything that happened, although with Clark's mysterious traveler act, she didn't know.

It was a few days since Clark made the revelation that rocked her world and Chloe pieced together everything in the back of her mind. The blonde wondered if she should have put the pieces together sooner. Actually it was likely, it was one of those moments of revelation.

"Chloe, fancy meeting you here."

Chloe stopped and saw Kara.

"You're back…which means that Clark is back," Chloe told her with a bright smile towards Kara but the taller blonde watched her with a corked eyebrow.

"Yes, he's back but not for long, and it's a good thing we came back," Kara retorted and Chloe watched her, a frown crossing the shorter blonde's face.

Chloe hitched in a deep breath, fearing the absolute worst. "What happened?"

"Morgan Edge and his thugs happened," Kara responded in a hot voice as she watched Chloe.

"Edge…he's dangerous business, please tell me that Clark didn't do anything that pissed him off," Chloe pleaded but Kara crossed her arms and frowned. It was then that the smaller blonde could see that the taller one was quite miffed about the circumstances and Chloe could easily see why. "Yeah I know but…."

"Edge was taken care of, don't worry," Kara retorted, it was lucky that she did not get her hands on Edge. Although the man would not be waking up and would likely spend the rest of his life hooked to a tube.

There was a nagging thought in the back of Kara's head about forcing a situation where figurative blood would be on Clark's hands. It was all about that tube of blood that Lionel Luthor had, that Edge had them stole. It was a domino effect of disaster.

"Edge hired us….to steal something for him," Kara continued and Chloe gritted her teeth before hitching in her breath. "It isn't as bad as it sounds."

Chloe frowned as she put her hands on her hips and watched Kara with an appraising expression in her eyes. It was obvious that the taller blonde understood a fair bit about how things worked on Earth but there were a few things that she did not understand about it at all. And one of those things was not to make any dealings with organized mobsters.

It was now clearer than ever before that Kara was Clark's cousin one hundred percent of the way.

"How isn't it as bad as it sounds?" Chloe asked Kara, willing to give the girl the benefit of the doubt, if she could explain what happened.

Kara sighed, this was not going her way at all and the blonde really did hope that she could explain things to Chloe properly. Even though it was hard to put what she had problems with in more than a few words yet Kara had to try.

"Lionel got his hands on a vial of blood that belonged to Clark," Kara told Chloe and this statement caused a certain amount of alarm from smaller blonde.

"How?" Chloe asked and Kara's lips curled into a pained grimace before she explained.

"That much I don't know but we switched the vial of blood out, and Lionel caught onto it," Kara stated as she winced. "We didn't think that Edge was going to….well we didn't think that he was going to sell it back to him."

Chloe frowned for a second and inclined her head with a slight nod. It was an honest mistake for a novice to earth culture like Kara to make. Hell if she was in that position, she would make the same mistake. She let in one breath and let out another breath, before she put the situation in perspective.

"He tried to use you to do his dirty work and when Lionel caught him with his pants down….well he didn't take it too well," Chloe summarized and Kara answered with a nod.

"Yes, it went like that," Kara stated as she shifted around guiltily. "Why does trash like Edge exist?"

"I don't know, you ask questions that humans have been trying to figure out for generations," Chloe responded as she shrugged her shoulders. "I wish I could give you the answers Kara, I really do. I guess for heroes to exist, there must be villains to save innocents from. That's why people like Edge exist. They have to maintain the status quo."

Kara spun around, that made as good of a reason for something then as anything else ever did, at least that's what she was going to tell herself over and over again. She wished that Clark would never have to live with the burden.

"So did you complete your journey into mystery?" Chloe asked Kara and the blonde's eyes meeting the other blonde's eyes.

"We have one of the things that we need, but we have two more to go,' Kara stated as she shrugged.

"If you need any help, I'll be happy to," Chloe offered and Kara smiled.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Kara answered with a smile. "And I'm glad that you were Clark's friend all these years."

"I am too," Chloe responded with a smile, she wished it was more. Although she needed to call Lana, to see how she was taking the breakup with Clark. She hated the awkwardness that was going through the air but all things considered, it could have ended a lot uglier.

* * *

"Kara, we need to talk."

There was one universal truth that was existed on both Krypton and Earth. And that was when someone said that they needed to talk, it might not have been the best thing in the world. The blonde Kryptonian hitched in the breath she was holding in. She gave Clark a good two and a half hours to discuss things over with his parents.

"Clark, if you….if you want to…well what is it you want to do?" Kara asked as there was a moment where she seemed nervous and bit down on her lip. She wanted the best out of everything and the best for her baby cousin who appeared to be at the crossroads between something.

"I told them about Lara in the cave," Clark informed her and Kara gave him a stiff nod in response. "I explained everything to them….from the beginning."

"Even about us," Kara whispered as she watched Clark.

"No, I didn't…I didn't bring that part up," Clark stated but Kara's face contorted into a frown.

"That's your business but it's going to come out later, but I think….you fear what they think?" Kara asked as she ran her hands through her hair and offered a long sigh. Things were not going as she planned today.

Kara decided that it would be the best to speak with the Kents. Both Jonathan and Martha sat down but if she had to be honest with herself they were a bit shaken up with the entire Morgan Edge mess. The blonde hated to admit this but she could not blame them at all, she would be shaken up if that happened.

"Mrs. Kent, Mr. Kent," Kara stated in a polite voice, normally she was fearless but she did not want to come across as someone that was stealing Clark away. Even though she thought that he had a far greater calling.

"Mom, Dad, I told you that I'm going to leave with Kara but….maybe it would be best if you talked to Lara in the cave," Clark informed them as he looked at his parents before Kara could say two more words. "She can explain everything far better than you can and explain why the thing with Jor-El happened."

"I was down by the cave a few days ago, Lionel Luthor has his man roaming around there," Jonathan stated without blinking.

"He's not there anymore, I just flew by there and checked," Kara responded as she crossed her arms.

"Flew?" Martha asked, caught off guard but then she slapped herself. "Oh of course, you might have different powers…."

"Clark is capable of the power of flight as well, it is just a matter of him getting in the right mindset," Kara stated in a crisp tone of voice. There were times where he accomplished floating, which was progress. The blonde stood on the heels of her feet.

"I have a serious concern about Clark and his education," Jonathan chimed in as Kara closed her eyes briefly before she opened them back up.

"You should be offering these concerns to Clark, not me, it's his decision, not mine," Kara answered in the most diplomatic manner possible.

Jonathan stopped, he realized that much was true and there was Clark, standing there, calm as could be, not saying anything.

"Clark, what do you want?' Martha asked her son gently.

"I want to figure out why I was sent here, what greater purpose that I have," Clark stated as he stood up. "And I think….well I think that sitting on a farm for years and years is not the thing for me….no offense."

He added that last part hastily because Jonathan was beginning to look like he was slapped in the face with the implications that his son did not think that life on the farm was ideal. Then again, with Clark's powers, he could do much more but there was this fear in the back of his mind that something happened.

"It's your decision," Jonathan stated in a stiff voice. "But we just want to…"

Kara hoisted them up in the air and prepared to guide them.

"Talk to Lara, well I'm going to give you your chance but hang on, this might be a bumpy right," Kara stated to them and Jonathan and Martha nodded as Kara dragged them off, a Kent underneath each arm, while she guided Clark's flight pattern with her telekinesis.

The group arrived at the caves in no time flat.

"Aunt Lara, someone wants to speak to you," Kara informed her in a calm voice.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kent, I must say given what I've found it, it is inevitable,' Lara stated with a long sigh. "I first and foremost apologize for the actions of my husband. While it is easy to lay those actions down as a flawed AI construct, the fact of the matter is that he has made more than his share of questionable decisions in his life."

"The best of us do," Jonathan commented, although he did wonder about if Krypton deserved the fate that he did. A logical part of him decided that it did not deserve any fate that it got because there were innocent people there that were not like Jor-El. "Clark seems to think that he has some grander calling in life."

"Clark has the potential for great things but naturally he should not forget the foundation that he has formed with yourself and your wife," Lara responded over the connection in the cave. "Do not think of me as taking him away, but merely borrowing him for a purpose."

"And no matter what happens, I'd always come back," Clark added before he gave both of his parents a tight hug.

Kara stood in the background and smiled.

"Don't worry, Kara will make sure that no harm comes to Clark, and your son will safely return, there are three stones that he must obtain and he has found one already," Lara told the Kents. "The other two will be difficult to find but I am confident that they will find a way."

"Is there anything that we can do to help?" Martha asked Lara and there was a pause before the AI stated her response.

"I will keep your offer in mind but for the moment, the best thing you can do is make sure you give your son the moral support and the inner strength that you can. His journey has begun but it could have not gotten kick started without you. I do apologize for my husband once again."

The Kents realized that none of this was Lara's fault and she seemed annoyed that her husband acted in the way he did. It was something that brought her certain levels of frustration as well and it caused plenty of collateral damage as well.

"I hope you realize that Kal-El will not be half the son he is without your upbringing and I am happy that Jor-El chose you to be his adopted parents that is not a decision that I disagree with."

"I'm glad we are able to do what we can to shape Clark's life," Martha remarked as there was a moment of silence.

"And it's not like that I wouldn't come back to visit," Clark offered although he wondered if he would have to make this big decision.

It was a giant step in his life, one that many people would not envy him for having to make but it opened up a door of several possibilities. His parents, whilst not necessary one hundred percent on board with it, did accept his decision but sometimes one needed to cut the chains that were holding them down. They needed to accept that there were some things that had to be done.

Clark, finally, thought that he was ready to take the first step towards the rest of his life.

He slowly began embracing his Kryptonian heritage more whilst also keeping his human roots in mind. Both Kal-El and Clark Kent could learn a lot from each other and perhaps both of them could be a better person.

* * *

"Edge….suffered an accident as he was being taken to the hospital," Lionel stated in a crisp voice, wondering how he got put in the state that he was. Not that he was looking a gift horse in the mouth. Lionel never was going to do something that like. He crossed his hands over his lap and his subordinate nodded his head.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Luthor sir," one of the surbordinates stated as he kept his eyes locked firmly upon Lionel's.

It was not the first time that Lionel had to make an inconvenience disappear, with Edge threatening to drop the bombshell about the murder of his parents and what happened there. He could not have that happen, even though was still a chance Edge might be out there. While the ambulance took a dive over the bridge and crashed, that did not mean anything.

Morgan Edge was the resourceful sort, Lionel admired that about the man, respected it even.

What vexed Lionel even more was the fact the ship disappeared out from underneath his nose and he knew that the security was airtight. Both the ship and the blood on the same night, both of them highly sought commodities and when coupled in with the strangeness around the caves, it added more questions than answers in his mind.

Despite the fact, the businessman was not about to give up, even though the fact that there were other things that should demand his time. He refused to give up the quest for answers, especially with the latest doctor reports rolling in and he ignored the stabbing pain in his side as he propped himself up, breathing in and out heavily.

"Nice and easy, Lionel old boy, nice and easy," Lionel commented to himself, it would be foolish to go to pieces even though it was the easiest thing in the world to do. Lionel found himself losing himself slowly to the insanity that presented itself to his mind and he turned his head around for a few seconds before returning to the task at hand.

There were blips that were flying rather fast, nothing more than a few seconds and all of them in the area around Smallville. All of them were heading to the caves, and Lionel wondered who would be so interesting. Especially considering the blip came in from flight.

All of this high tech equipment that he poured millions of his dollars into and all he could do was….it didn't matter, all he could do. He would find the mysterious person who was behind this and he would track them down. They had the blood, they had the ship, he knew it, and both would be his lifelines.

The doctors had given him six months to live but Lionel refused to have a death sentence stamped on him. The own words that he gave his son echoed back into his head, he refused to be defeated by a minor inconvenience. Luthors were survivors and they refused to be brought down by any means, especially one that was minor as a flaw of their own flesh, a flaw of their own bodies because that would be considered failure.

Failure was not something that Luthors accepted.

It was not encoded in their DNA.

Failure was not something that they would accept.

Especially this Luthor.

He would win the day; there was not a shadow of a doubt in his mind about it. The search for his son was on but Lionel wondered if Lex truly was dead. He would not consider his son to be gone until a rotting corpse was found and even then Lionel would have his share of doubts. The same thing would go for Morgan Edge, he was not going to hold his breath until the man was down and out for the count.

Sooner or later someone would slip up and Lionel would hold them in his trap. He could feel his hand close in tightly on them and a twisted grin appeared on his face.

* * *

Kal sat at the edge of the field in Smallville, looking up into the sky, wondering if it would be that easy to find the second stone. It was fairly easy to find the first stone but the second one might be an entirely different matter.

"We should leave tomorrow to find the second stone," Kal remarked as he shifted to face Kara properly, who sat down next to him, placing her arms around him. "I can't help but shake the feeling that the longer we wait, the harder it might be to find it. And that's not considering where the third stone is, and it might be even harder to find it."

Kara grabbed Kal around his neck and squeezed him tightly, before nuzzling her face into the back of his neck.

"I just wish I could fly on my own," Kal mumured but Kara smiled at him.

She knew that her cousin was far closer than he thought he was, it just was the proper motivation that was needed. He would have it pretty soon, she knew that he would, he needed to remain patient. Which she reminded herself was not a trait of the House of El, they were people who jumped into situations head on.

"So tomorrow hmm, I wonder what we could do until them?" Kara asked and Kal grabbed her tightly around the waist and pushed her down onto the ground, before leaning down and kissing her on the lips.

Kara sighed deeply as he kissed the breath out of her, pinning her down to the ground. He was adventurous today, having her out in the middle of this field, where anyone can walk in on them at any time, and there was always a chance of danger. The blonde closed her eyes and felt his mouth on her neck.

"Kal, make love to me please," Kara breathed, feeling herself get wet and she impatiently unbuckled his pants, trying to remove them, nearly ripping them in a feverish frenzy.

She snorted, he could always get a new pair of pants.

**Smut/Lemon Begins.**

-PROFILE-

**Smut/Lemon Ends.**

**To Be Continued in the Next Arc "Catch Me If You Can."**


	8. Chapter Seven: Catch Part One

**Chapter Seven "Catch Me If You Can Part One."**

There was a bit of hope stirring in the heart and mind of Clark Kent when he realized something and that was that he was one stone down, with only two more to go. As he figured, the first one was always the easiest one. The final two were going to be extremely tricky to get his hands on, especially the third one, when one factored in the lack of location that they had. The young man crossed his arms and sat next to his cousin. The blonde smiled at him and Kara had the ability to pretty much sense what he was thinking.

"So, you're nervous about the stone?" Kara asked him and Clark turned to her, inclining his head for a brief instant with a nod. "Don't be, trust me, confidence is something that you should practice a little bit more of. It will help you in the long run"

Kara Zor-El was someone who was never lacking in confidence, she was always sure of herself, even though there might a situation where things were uncertain. The blonde eyed Clark and tapped the edge of the wall that they leaned against. They were in a café outside of Metropolis, waiting for everything to come together. Pieces of the puzzle, they knew that it was in their hands, at least that's what they assumed was happening.

"I'm just a little bit unsettled," Clark told her and Kara responded with a small smile.

"I would be if I was in your shoes, the fate of the entire world rests in your hands," Kara responded and Clark eyed her, a tentative expression flickering in his eyes. The blonde's face twisted into a wide smirk before she stated the next few words. "No pressure or anything, of course."

"Yeah, of course," Clark retorted before he closed his eyes, having to think as a Kryptonian, having to think as Kal-El. Clark visited his parents earlier but now he needed to put him back into the box and pull Kal-El into the forefront.

It made Clark feel rather confused, although he did have more than a few issues to begin with. Being an alien who had powers was something that was not considered normal under the best of circumstances. Given who his birth father was, well that opened up things even more for him.

Kara knocked the ball into Clark's court. "So what do you know about China?"

"Well, people from not around there…it's difficult for them to get in the country or so I've heard," Clark informed and the blonde offered a shrug. "We're going to have to be very inconspicuous and very cautious."

"He who hesitates is lost," Kara remarked and Clark looked at her. "Human expression I picked up, but it does seem rather fitting. "

Clark had to agree it did seem fitting, because there was a certain amount of opportunities staring him in the face, all he needed to do was take that opportunity and seize it. And seize it he shall, the Last Son of Krypton offered a long smile as he grabbed Kara around the waist and pulled her in close.

"And the two of us, I don't think anyone can take us down," Kal remarked, showing a bit of confidence and allowing his Kryptonian side to come out of the box.

"Well, that's the attitude I think we need to get the stones," Kara told him in a most agreeable tone of voice. Her cousin turned out pretty good, sure there were some shaky starts but he did need to step things up if he wanted to succeed. It was a good thing that she was one step along the way. "I wonder if….well the stones were here on Earth for years and years. Jor-El took them into the past to hide them."

"He couldn't do anything the easy way, could he?" Kal asked and Kara smiled, leaning forward, and kissing her frustrated cousin on the cheek.

"No, it was one of his tests for you," Kara stated as she inclined her head.

"Well, I'm going to prove that I'm better than his expectations," Kal remarked as he slammed his hands down on the wall and nearly left a crack in it but Kara gave him a warning glance.

"I do agree with you, believe me, but discreet, remember that," Kara warned him as Kal hung his head sheepishly. The look on his face was almost….well it was rather adorable all things considered. Yet there was work to do and Kara did not know how much she had to do.

Kal was the one that brought up the next point.

"There's no point in staying around here."

Kara shook her head. "No, there really isn't any point in sticking around here."

The two cousins sped off, knowing that there was a lot to do. And there was something that Kara needed to do. Once they built the Fortress, they could access the Hard Drive from Kara's ship and the blonde thought about the treasures that could be on it. She inherited the journal on it from her mother but that only scrapped the surface of what potential there could be within. Kara wondered if there was much more than Alura left behind than a journal but she would figure that out later.

She smiled, pretty soon she would have a treasure trove at the palm of her hands and that could cause her and Kal to take their powers to completely undreamt of heights. As far as the Kryptonian female was concerned, their powers had no limits. The only limits that existed were in their own minds and they could keep breaking new barriers.

Now that Kal was starting to drop the human mask that he developed for himself, the two of them could step forward and do something great. Exactly what that would be, neither of them knew but they would find out before too long. The two of them kicked off into the air and began to blast forward faster than a speeding bullet towards their next destination.

While Kara did not really know anything about China in general, she wondered how hard getting one little stone of power would be. Although the stone in Libya had been a minor challenge, it was not a big deal. She was ready to stand and meet that challenge.

Kal almost wondered if she levitated him in the air with her powers or not but he was not brazen or bold enough to ask. He assumed that he was getting some assistance as the flight thing was still a power that he skirted around. Even though he did gain more confidence, now that he was allowed to reach his full potential, it wasn't the easiest thing in the world. That was something that Kal could not deny.

His journey was just beginning and the two cousins flew side by side, with Kal and Kara picking up the pace as they got closer and closer.

They sensed another piece of home was just around the corner.

* * *

Lionel Luthor stood firm and his eyes never let the view screen as he studied the satellite feed that he accessed. There was something there in Smallville, a certain someone that he wished to acquire. Someone who could help him with his goals and help him shrug off the pain that he was undergoing; the stabbing sensations that continued to go through his abdomen as he rubbed his side.

He hitched in a breath and let it out, the stabbing pain continued to be an issue beyond anything he had ever realized. Once again, he was given a short time to live and now Lionel was not going to allow a death sentence be passed on him. He was a Luthor, stronger than anyone else that was a statement that people could take to the bank as he kept his eyes forward.

He breathed in and out heavily, not because of any sickness; no there were other problems with Lionel. He was not completely in control and the middle aged man sensed the hints of his own mortality staring back from behind the windows of his soul He clutched his fist, feeling a chill in the air and his eyes continued to become bloodshot.

He stared forward not blinking. All he had to do is wait and watch to figure out what he must do. His arms crossed together, studying the movements, carefully stitching together what he felt he must do. A smile crossed his face, the predator was about ready to corner his prey, with sadistic, quick movements. He watched the dots and tried to figure out where they were moving.

"The little flies have taken the honey," Lionel remarked as he tapped on the edge of the screen.

He knew what was on the line; he knew that if he failed to save himself, then the legacy of Lionel Luthor would be a memory.

"Did you find the body of Morgan Edge?" Lionel demanded as one of his subordinates checked in.

"The official world is that he perished in the explosion," the subordinate stated.

"Then the person giving the official word is a moron," Lionel said curtly as he crossed his arms and scowled. Truly he was in the company of fools that refused to engage that underused organ that was called their brains. He gritted his teeth and hung his head before he waited. "I want to see his corpse with my own two eyes before I even begin to pass judgment, until then, don't you dare say anything about the official word."

"Understood, sir," the subordinate responded in a crisp tone of voice.

"You better understand," Lionel fired back as he folded his hands together.

The latest medical reporters were a rather damning one, six months was a rather damning diagnosis that he refused to give into, at least now. Yet, it stared him back in the face, now, if he only had that blood he could determine a way to cure himself of his ailment.

Lionel gritted his teeth before placing his hands on the side of his face, turning his head around, and scowling like a mad person; his eyes flickered dangerously. He drummed his hands off of the side of the table, before taking another look at the maps around the world. The patterns were erratic in the sense that they were always going in a different direction, in a different route, but they kept coming back to the caves. Back and forth from different locations, a few from Metropolis and a few elsewhere but the pair of dots remained going around in circles, making Lionel curious about what their game was.

Now he tried to plot if there was some kind of common denominator but they've left the area of the country once before. It was a trip to Libya, but they bounced back rather quickly, returning to the cave. Then there was their next destination, all around Smallville and back to Metropolis, going around in circles no matter what. He gritted his teeth as he kept his eyes firmly on the boards before throwing his head back and offered a long and poignant sigh.

'_There has to be something that is missing, some kind of common detonator,' _Lionel thought to himself as he gritted his teeth before he kept his eyes on the screen, bloodshot, the gears grinding in his head. _'And the ship, the ship….the ship, it was so magnificent and I've never had a chance to study it at all.'_

Lionel turned his head around as he walked down the corridor, seeing the hallways before walking off to the side. He edged further down the hallway, gritting his teeth and allowing himself some time to ponder what he needed to do. His eyes flickered from one side to the other.

"Mr. Luthor, we've got another flight pattern," one of his men stated and Lionel, with another movement, grabbed it. "It's clocked as faster than a speeding bullet, when only picked up a slight blip on radar."

"If that's about as well as you can do, fair enough, but you better do better," Lionel stated in a cold tone of voice as he narrowed his eyes and kept his expression on the radar, cracking his knuckles as he drew in a breath and drew out another breath.

Just when one thought they had all of the answers, they kept changing all the questions.

* * *

Time edged by rather slowly as Kal waited for the other shoe to drop. There was a humming noise that he could hear as he focused his hearing, before grabbing his hands around, before turning. Slowly he twisted his head from one side and he twisted from the other side, from the right to the left and back to get a sense of all sounds from all directions. It was something that he picked up over time. His rudimentary training allowed him to get a sense of what was going on nearby him. He could hear Kara hovering behind him, before the young man held his hand up.

The beating heart could be heard and there was something, a presence beneath the temple there. He wished he could use a map or something but his X-Ray vision would have to do.

The entire building was lined with lead and Kal threw his head up.

"Problem?" Kara asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Lead lining," Kal informed her and the blonde's face twisted to a grin, knowing about something. "So we adapt."

"So we do," Kara remarked in a crisp voice as the two cousins lowered down to the ground, landing with a definite, but quiet, movement.

The two stood outside the temple, before walking around the outside. There were no guards around, at least now. Of course that was something that could change in a heartbeat so they edged even closer. Kara looked over her shoulder but saw nothing. A smile crossed her face and Kal nodded before he held the edge of the door.

He could not budge it with his powers.

So he had to use something else, use his mind.

He closed his eyes and summoned up the power, before unleashing his heat vision, cutting around the surface, breaking the bolts around the door hinge. This allowed him to lean forward and grabbed the door, before pulling it open. The door clicked open and Kal stepped back, allowing them entry.

The door flung open before Kal walked forward, inclining an ear as he slipped inside. The Last Son moved forward, seeing the statues around him and then there were some glowing lights around them. The hallway was lit as he stepped forward and he continued to edge across the hallway, hovering across the ground. Kara hovered behind him, her ears perked up, waiting for something to happen, the other shoe to drop.

There were no traps which was always a good sign in a mysterious temple. The two of them hoped to keep moving forward, for the second stone. There was a humming off to the side that got even louder.

"I don't have any idea, sorry," Kara informed Kal, she was stepping into an unknown that she did not like much either.

"Well, you should stay behind me," Kal breathed as he lightly nudged the hatch on the one of the walls but the flaming dagger appeared out of thin air before it shot towards him. He dodged the attack and Kara raised an eyebrow.

"Turn back."

Kal placed his arm around Kara's waist before he pulled her backwards and the blonde allowed him to do so. There was a humming and a blink of light as he stepped forward, before he turned around, closing his eyes. One step at a time he edged towards his destination and hoped that he would reach there. He could sense that the stone was there, he had the same feeling that he did with the other statue. There was a humming, a vibration on the other side. Kal grabbed the statue.

There was an explosion of dust that choked him.

"KAL!"

"Kara, get back there's something…" Kal panted heavily as he staggered around, nearly collapsing on the ground. His breath went in and out with several short breaths but he could not shake off the attack. He felt a throbbing around the back of his head and massaged his jaw as he felt the glow.

There was Kryptonite here and in abundance, and for a moment Kal felt staggered, it was giving him problems.

Kara edged closer to him, seeing the rocks, how they affected him once again. She edged forward and grabbed him around the arm, touching him tightly.

Kal staggered for a few seconds but then stood up straight, shaking his head. The Kryptonite effect was gone. He staggered for a brief second as she held him up. The two of them felt the pull of the Kryptonite and it caused them to weaken but together, they managed to stave off the effects, at least long enough for Kara to get the dreaded rocks out of the way.

The blonde closed her eyes before she edged the damn rocks out of the way and she stepped forward, reaching forward towards the front of the statue.

She screamed and Kal turned around.

"I'm okay, it just…it just burned my hands," Kara informed him, trying to hide the tears that rolled from her eyes and Kal turned towards her, a raised eyebrow.

"That doesn't sound okay," Kal told her firmly but Kara shook her head.

"Keep doing it, keep doing it," Kara whispered as she motioned her head, her hands would heal underneath the yellow sun, but she had a feeling that Kal was the only one that would be able to pull it open. There was an instant where he paused and eyed the edge of the statue.

He who hesitated lost and Kal grabbed the statue, hoisting it up over his head and the statue busted. There were a few pieces of Kryptonite that flew out but amongst the Kryptonite, there was a second stone, much like the stone that he found in Libya.

"There it is," Kal breathed, smiling down at the stone, as he staggered but Kara levitated the Kryptonite and flung the rocks out the window.

"Congratulations, Kal, I knew you could get it," Kara stated in a jubilant voice as she wrapped her arms around him

Two down, one to go, that was a statement that echoed through both of the heads of the cousins. It would be unwise to celebrate premature and there was something about this temple that was unsettling but the pair of them had the second stone.

Two down and one to go but there was that one to go that would be the hardest of them all.

* * *

A smile, if only a slight one, popped crossed over Chloe's face as she thought about what happened recently. She wished she could have tagged along with Clark and Kara to help with what they were doing. Although with her current lack of powers, she felt like somewhat of a third wheel. The young blonde stepped outside the caves, for some reason, she was drawn back to his location. She wanted to step in and have a closer look around.

'_Wow, I can't believe it, well given all of the insanity that goes around here, I kind of can't believe it, but I can believe it at the same time,' _Chloe thought to herself, as she turned around with widened eyes and saw the trucks with the Luthorcorp logo parked outside the sight. She frowned and watched them. _'And I don't think that I was the only one to show some kind of interest with the cave, well that's got to be wonderful.'_

The blonde sighed, of course there would be people moving around, sticking their noses where it did not belong. And they would have to belong to Luthorcorp. She placed a pair of hands on the side of her head.

"I wonder what Lionel's doing down there," Chloe said to herself as she placed a hand on her chin but shook her head. She tried to stand tall and be inconspicuous, after all, talking to herself was not the greatest thing in the world. "Surely he doesn't know what's down there."

"If he doesn't know, he has a good idea."

Chloe spun around and saw a red haired woman dressed in business attire, staring down at her. The woman watched her with a smile and Chloe wondered how much this woman heard or how long she was here.

"You're showing an interesting in the caves, aren't you?" she asked Chloe with a smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Chloe responded, trying to play ignorant even if she was not really doing all that good of a job of it. She let in her breath and let her breath out, shaking her head to keep rather calm.

The woman responded with a smile as she eyed Chloe, a knowing expression dancing in her eyes. "You've been nearly down here as often as Kal-El has and you're bound to get caught if you're not careful."

Chloe's mind went into pure overdrive; did Kara and Clark mention what his Kryptonian name was? Actually that did seem to be a logical explanation, Kal-El, given that his father was someone named Jor-El. She had vague memories of having that knowledge although she could not piece where they came from. And he did use the name Kal when he was in Metropolis, so there was that. Chloe felt a slight bit baffled.

"I think you might be confusing me with someone else," Chloe remarked trying to side step and protect Clark's secret."

"You're Chloe Sullivan, one of Clark Kent's friends, he's named Kal-El, your mother disappeared and was institutionalized, your father works at the Luthorcorp plant, do I need to keep giving you information?" the redhead stated and Chloe's mouth opened and her mouth shut. "I didn't think that I needed to."

Chloe's mouth snapped open and shut, wondering if she had been spied on for.

"Relax….I'm not one of Lionel's spies, if that's what you're wondering," the girl told Chloe in a reassuring voice and Chloe relaxed, but only a tiny bit.

"That's refreshing, but Lionel's not the only toxic influence in the world that might be interested in these caves," Chloe fired back as her gaze of distrust prominent but the redhead watched her with interest. "Just….what's your interest?"

"Nothing but showing an interest in the potential that Kal-El has, my father and I, we both share that interest, although my father knows much more," the redhead told Chloe as she shifted her expression towards the young blond, practically tripping over her words to convey what she wanted to say. "I think you're beginning to understand the calling that Kal-El has or perhaps you've already figured out. I don't know, I don't know."

Chloe said nothing but the expression in her eyes said it all.

"My father is mostly a recluse these days, his health isn't what it used to be but his determination can't be denied," the redhead responded as she eyed Chloe. "Someone with a great interest towards Kal-El has recently accepted a job to help run some of his operations."

Chloe raised an eyebrow before she stated something slowly. "Is this the good kind of interest or bad kind of interest?"

The redhead smiled a bright smile. "I don't know, that's really up for Kal-El to decide. I didn't believe her story when I first heard it but given all that my father's experienced, and all I've learned by taking a peak in his journal, he's made a believer out of me."

The redhead watched the caves along Chloe, the two girls blinking.

"It's amazing but we can't really go in until Lionel's cleared out," the redhead stated and Chloe nodded.

"I noticed, he's got his goons posted all around there," Chloe said dryly, frustrated, because after the weird dreams that she was having over the past week, she had a feeling that the caves would be the common denominator to figure out how to piece together what the hell was going.

The redhead smiled at Chloe for second before leading her behind the rocks.

"Patience, I think, that's what need," the redhead remarked in a crisp and careful voice and Chloe nodded at her.

Chloe did not really feel too patient with all that has been happening but she was going to play the game for now. There was one question that vexed her and she turned towards the redhead woman.

"Just who are you?" Chloe asked.

The redhead smiled at her, she wondered when that was going to come up. "Patricia Swann."

'_Doctor Swann's daughter, makes sense, given that he contacted Clark last year,' _Chloe thought to herself, and the pieces began to fit together, although it was hard to figure out the nature of her mind.

Not to mention the weird symbols that appeared in her dream the other night.

Was she cracking like what was common in her family?

* * *

"All we need to do is get back and find the third stone," Kal summarized as he and Kara traveled back from China. The blonde did not say anything although Kal got a pretty good idea of what she was thinking. "Do you think that it's going to be that easy?"

"No not particular,' Kara informed as she heard the whirling in her ear and stopped, almost cold in the ear. This caused her tensions to heighten. "For reasons like that."

Clark was confused and decided to bring this point up to her. "Reasons like what?"

Kara hushed her cousin and she was almost sure that something followed her, the blonde watched over her shoulder as the helicopter followed her. The blonde bit down on her lip as she edged forward and placed her hands on her face, before inclining her head with a brief sigh. She heard them approaching and that put her on edge most certainly.

"What is it, Kara?"

Kara once again decided to hush Kal but in doing so, it was brought to his attention. He slowly looked over his shoulder and saw the approaching vessels, it crept up behind him. His heart beat a bit heavily and Kara closed her eyes.

"We should be careful," Kal breathed, wondering if he would have to do anything drastic to take that vessel out. He really hoped that he would not have to but at the same time, it looked highly likely. The Kryptonian placed his hands on the side of his face, before throwing his head back with a labored sigh.

Perhaps they were aircrafts that were doing a routine drill, yes that had to be it, Kal reasoned about that point in the back of his mind. He flickered his eyes shut and threw his head back with a long sigh.

"Stop right there, neither of you are to move."

Kara flickered her hand and Kal's face became a blur that could not be picked up by any camera. It did not matter if he stood there.

"What did you do?" Kal asked as Kara watched him as she bit down on her lip with a force that should have drawn some blood.

"Protect your identity, now we can hopefully maneuver around them," Kara responded, but she felt a lack of conviction with that fact. The stone was clutched in Kal's hand still and it was imperative that he protect that at all costs.

And since she vowed to protect Kal at all costs, there was only one thing that Kara knew that she had to do. She closed her eyes as she rolled over the thoughts in her mind, she was going to have to make a distinct sacrifice and she flew herself forward.

"KARA!"

Kal was horrified what she did but at the same time, he would have done the same thing if he would have had the chance to do so first. She maneuvered around the ships but not before she yelled one thing over her shoulder.

"Run, Kal, get the stone back!"

Kal refused to accept that, he could help her, he knew that. Stubborn behavior filled him and he shot forward like a cork to try and knock the aircraft out of the air. He gritted his teeth and sure enough he grabbed onto it. He pulled it from the air and flung it over his head, causing it to spiral out of control. He felt his flight slowly falter, wondering if Kara was so distracted dealing with these things that she was going to let him fall.

He had to calm himself down, embrace his Kryptonian side, and descend gracefully and not fall with a splat. Or better yet find a way to keep himself up in the air, it was a long time they had been up there and he lost Kara.

"KARA!"

He wondered if there was any use in yelling her name because there was no one answering and he felt a distinct ringing within his ears, he rubbed his ear to try and block it out. He bit his lip down and he swung his hands around, trying to push himself forward.

"There he is, surrender, or we will open fire!"

Kal didn't know what right any of these people had to shoot him out of the sky, in fact he got angry, so angry that his eyes started to glow. He breathed in and breathed out heavily, the last thing he needed to do was cause some kind of catastrophe that would bring them down. That was the very least thing he needed, and he reigned his temper in, despite the fact it threatened to bring him down.

He saw Kara, her shirt ripped and a scratch down her face. Despite the fact she was injured, her determination was not something that could be blocked. The blonde shot forward in the air and impacted the side of the vehicle, before she sunk her nails into the metal. With precision, she used her powers as a guidance system.

Kara did not like people chasing her without any good reason and this person, well they were asking for it, weren't they? The blonde bit down on her lip and brought the enemy down, causing it to land in the water with a huge splash. She made sure the people inside were able to evacuate or at least had a chance to. Whether they would take that chance or not, that was up to them.

The blonde closed her eyes and heard a sinister whirl.

She darted in front of him and Kal darted towards her. It was an awkward ballet in midair as both sensed that these missiles were a far more dangerous than they looked at first glance. Not to mention that they were laced by the meteor rock and there were other elements to them that caused Kara to become rather light headed.

The explosion rang out and Kara could sense the ringing in her ears. She grabbed Kal around the waist and tried to guide them both to the nearest island.

The smoke cleared and they were gone.

But neither knew exactly where they landed for they blacked out immediately.

**To Be Continued in "Catch Me If You Can Part Two."**


	9. Chapter Eight: Catch Part Two

**Chapter Eight: Catch Me If You Can Part Two. **

Wide eyed, Chloe stepped into the caves, now that Lionel's henchmen had ran off; this allowed her to enter the caves without any problems. She did not know how much longer she would be able to go down here and a part of her wondered if there was someone doing the same thing that she was doing. Waiting around the caves to see whether Clark or Kara or both would come back any time was something that Chloe wished to do. With Lionel's obsession with the caves, there was no telling what would happen if he came back around. The blonde skidded a little bit on the rocks but adjusted her bearings and stood firmly.

She shifted her gaze over her shoulder and followed the progress of Patricia Swann who followed her into the caves. Much had changed since the drawings that she saw a while again but there was also much that remained the same. She tried to fix herself into an expression that passed for professional even though she was in a fair amount of awe. It took a few seconds for her to catch her breath and speak up.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Patricia asked as she flickered her eyes over the cave walls appraisingly. "It depicts….well the legend is different but still my father knew that the Traveler was coming and he's here."

Chloe wondered about all of this, again if one would have told her three months ago that Clark would be the person who would have this great calling, she would have scarcely believed it. In fact, she would laugh in their faces. Now she realized that there was a lot of merit to that statement. The blonde edged her way down the cavern and nearly slid but once again, she kept her balance steady.

"I don't know what to say, this down here…."

"Words tend to mean very little in the grand scheme of things, Miss Sullivan."

Chloe stopped and stared, her eyes growing rather wide. Patricia went pale as well, for a moment; she thought that there was someone down there.

As a matter of fact, there was someone down there, although that someone did not possess a body that could move around as they pleased. Chloe, being bold as she was, drew in a breath before she spoke to the presence in the cave.

"Hello, who's there?"

"Chloe, no need to be alarmed, it's Lara, the mother of Kal-El, or as you know him, Clark," Lara responded. "Your curiosity is a virtue but you may need to learn how to exercise it with a bit more tact."

Chloe nodded her head numbly up and down.

"This cave is becoming a liability, there are too many people roaming around it," Lara mused before she stated the next few words more to herself than the girls. "They should have been back by now."

"They should have been back…what are you talking about?" Patricia asked curiously but she could sense that Lara was confused by her sudden outburst. "Patricia Swann….no need to be alarmed, I don't wish to harm Kal-El."

"I do hope not," Lara stated, if she had a head to throw back and sigh, she would throw her head back and sigh. Alas she had no such capabilities. "How much do you know about my son?"

Patricia shrugged her shoulders before adopting the fairly honest approach.

"I don't know all that much truthfully, it is my father who is a bit of an expert on Kal-El," Patricia admitted in a brisk voice. "I've read some notes he's taken down but other than that, I'm as lost as the next person."

"Well then it is a journey that you must take," Lara answered in her own brisk tone, leaving a great degree of mystery present her voice. She contemplated a few matters over in her thoughts before it was Chloe who decided to break the uneasy silence.

"You said Clark….that he was supposed to report back by now, along with Kara," Chloe responded before she bit down on her lip and there was an instant where the area in the caves went silent in a uncomfortable way. It was almost to the point where Chloe was pretty much sure that she overstepped some sort of bounds. "You don't have to answer but I….I don't know but I was concerned too."

"You should be concerned, you are Kal's friend," Lara told her gently after the cutting silence ended. "But he is on a mission that will take more time than I believe before. There is no need to fret too much, he will reach his directive."

"What if something happened?"

Chloe hated to be that person who brought up the worst case scenario but she couldn't help and let it slip from her mouth. When she heard the concern in Lara's voice, there was something that began to dig in her stomach. A knot twisted within her and the blonde wondered, oh boy did she ever wonder? She wondered where Clark ran off to. Every single thought was worse than the last and if there was a chance that….well she did not want to even think about it.

Coupled in the haunting dreams she had over the past week, Chloe had a lot to think about.

"May I ask you a question?" Chloe asked, deciding to throw everything out there on the table.

Lara remained silent before she spoke up. "I daresay that you might but do know that there is only a certain amount of information that I have to give you. If I cannot locate Kal-El before night falls, then we will be in a quandary."

"Maybe I can help?" Chloe asked as she crossed her arms and looked forward, to try and gauge some kind of reaction.

Lara did not want to shove Chloe off to the side but at the same time, putting someone like that in danger. Especially if it was someone who had none of the extraordinary abilities that Kara and Kal had, that was something that she did not want to do. There was a humming as she remained silent before the voice in the walls spoke up again.

"Ask your question, please, maybe I can help you," Lara stated in a crisp tone of voice.

'_Okay, that's side stepping the question,' _Chloe thought to herself but she remained standing proud, not showing the frustration that she experienced.

Chloe cleared her throat and threw her head back.

"I've had these dreams, weird symbols are in them," Chloe responded as she threw her head back, racking her mind as she rubbed her forehead to try and get some kind of stimulation to her brain to recall anything from these nighttime musings. "I feel like I should understand them but at the same time, I don't understand them. It's very confusing."

Lara was baffled, she lacked sufficient understanding to answer Chloe's question and Patricia eyed Chloe curiously. She decided to break in with a question of her own.

"When did this start happening to you?"

Lara broke in with a question as well. "Did this happen after your first visit to the cave weeks ago?"

Chloe once again thought about it and there was something flickering through her mind. She rubbed her temples and sighed, it was getting very confusing and hard to concentrate.

"Yes, I remember it, they started happening after I touched the cave walls," Chloe stated after the blonde thought about it. "What do they mean?"

"I don't know, my husband has left a few quirks within the cave, and I haven't been able to negate them all," Lara informed her but that was only a theory. She was not about to discount it but without more proof, she could not go much further. "Has anything occurred to that you cannot remember? Did you wake up in any strange places without any memory of how you have arrived there?"

Chloe racked her mind and shook her head in the negative.

"Then I would not worry about it too much," Lara concluded as the cave symbols flickered and both Patricia and Chloe got the sense that she was staring at them now. "I trust neither of you will breathe a word of this to anyone."

"You're secret is safe," Patricia stated and she debated whether or not to say anything to her father about what she saw and heard here. It would be something that she would sleep on.

"I'd sooner die than betray Clark," Chloe told her with conviction as she closed her eyes. "Why do I have a feeling that is going to happen?"

"Well I'm sure that those words will be tested soon enough, dear," Lara responded as she paused before there was a drumming off to the side. "I wish you both the best of luck and I'm sure that Kara and Kal will both return before long."

Lara did not say that she hoped this would happen but there was something grim that echoed through her mind.

* * *

Lionel placed a hand to his chin, pondering, contemplating, any kind of adjective that described what he was doing, he thought of. His arms crossed over the other and he turned his head around towards the window so he could see the birds land before they started chirping.

It was a common and simple pleasure that many took for granted.

Many did not consider the scavengers that would come and swoop in to cause the birds to be wiped out. They never stood a chance against them. Lionel recalled certain points with picture perfect clarity. His eyes narrowed for a brief instant as he heard the chirping and he understood what could potentially happen as he took a swig from the drink on his desk, doctor's orders be damned.

A scavenger was someone who swooped in and took from someone who did not know better. Someone who was foolish enough to believe that they were safe; they were guarded in their own little nest. They built up their little secure world and the eyes of Lionel flashed as he saw the latest news reports regarding his son. Lost at sea, presumed dead, Lionel only paid a mild amount of attention to it.

There was one thought that echoed through his head and Lionel reminded himself of it.

Lex reaped what he sowed.

Lionel saw death knocking away at his door, (the latest doctor reports confirmed something was wrong). Ever since he could remember, Luthors were creatures of certain habits, certain virtues, and one of those virtues was obsession. It was what drove them and that was what drove Lionel Luthor.

Obsession was the key point to what he contemplated. Obsession was the keystone of the Luthor formula, it was something that drove most of them to levels that no one else could understand. He did not even bother to rein in his obsession most of his time, rather he used it to fuel his ambitions and as a result, Luthorcorp was one of the most foremost companies in the world. None of that was done by accident, it was done by design.

Obsession was not something that was exclusive to the Luthors. Lionel recalled the Teagues and their pursuit of the stones, an obsession that had been prominent in that family for centuries. Of course, he also held a certain level of obsession with the stones and also the person who they were meant for. They were two keys to his ultimate control, the keys to his own glory.

He knew where the power lied and if Lionel could not possess the power himself, he would maneuver the person who had the power.

"Cancel the meeting, I have work to do," Lionel stated as he reached over and saw the package on his desk. He opened it up and a smile crossed his face.

The stone was in his hand, what it did, how to work it, well Lionel would figure it out in the coming days. The only problem that Lionel had was that the people who held the stone, they were not gift wrapped for him as well.

"Baby steps Lionel, baby steps," Lionel muttered as he threw his head back. He placed his hands on his head and once again eyed the medical reports. His own mortality was something that fueled his obsession.

Obsession was what made the mind work.

"No survivors?" Lionel asked the person that stood in the shadows.

"There were no survivors, not even a scrap of fabric, we blew them out of the sky and to oblivion, Mister Luthor," the man in the shadows stated in a proud voice.

Lionel blinked but his voice was brisk and rather crisp, he drummed his fingers off the top of his desk as he eyed the man before him. "Then you are a fool if you think that they didn't survive. They have a certain amount of durability, and obviously you saw what you wanted to."

He was almost convinced that he had found the one, not that he did not have his suspicions before.

His son's funeral was soon, he figured he might as well put in an appearance soon, just to maintain the illusion that he was grieving. Even if he was secretly wondering where he went wrong that his son lacked the common sense to understand when he was being duped.

"What is that on your coat?" Lionel asked as he watched the man before him.

"The wind shield was shattered and blood splashed in there," the man stated as he wondered where Lionel Luthor was coming from.

"That blood could be more valuable than your life, let's hope for your sake that the aircraft has not been cleaned," Lionel said curtly as he scrambled forward.

They tried to outsmart him and Edge tried to betray him but it was Lionel Luthor who would have the last laugh. He crossed his arms together and edged forward before he walked out, there was a prize for him to acquire before he left to pay his respects to his son.

* * *

The ringing sensation that went through Kara's head could barely be blocked out no matter how much she tried. She rubbed her ears and felt extremely flushed. The green meteor rocks should not have harmed them, she thought that they were out in the clear. There were even more theories that went through her head but it was extremely hard to think in a matter that was coherently.

"Kal," Kara managed with a murmur as she scrambled to her feet but collapsed to the ground in a swift motion.

She clutched the side of her head, before running her hands down her scalp. Kara's vision blurred then cleared as she caught her breath. Kara managed to push herself off of the ground and scrambled to gain some balance. She took the full brunt of the attack that Kal tried to take for her. It was all that she could do to guide them to this island, the last bit of strength that she had.

Now she tried to figure out what went wrong. The blonde rubbed the bridge of her nose and hoped that the natives did not find Kal before she did. She had no idea whether or not they would be friendly but for some reason Kara feared the worst. There was a twisting sensation that filled the pit of her stomach.

"Kal!" Kara yelled, losing all sense even as she massaged her vocal cords. It hurt to talk much less yell. She got knocked around pretty hard before she passed out. The yellow sun healed her injuries, without it, she would have been dead on arrival.

"Kara," Kal breathed as he laid on the ground which caused Kara to sigh in relief, before she shot forward like a cork.

She threw her arms around Kal, pulling him into a tight hug and the blonde offered a smile, before tightening her embrace. His arms wrapped around her to return the gesture, although his motions were still weak.

"Are you okay?" Kara asked with widened eyes, she feared the absolute worst when both of them were knocked out of the sky.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kal managed as he rubbed his forehead as he tried to get himself back to his feet, but his legs collapsed from underneath him.

"Here, hold on, you should be healing soon," Kara responded although this did really give her an accurate depiction of where their powers lied. There was no point in worrying about that although she did heal from her injuries quicker. The blonde reached forward and grabbed Kal, propping him up and helping him forward. "I hope that we can find out where we are."

"I don't know about you, but I'm more worried about getting out of here," Kal stated as he rubbed his forehead but Kara smiled towards him.

"That might be prudent but…..did you see it drop?" Kara asked and Kal looked towards her.

"What drop?"

Kara groaned in exasperation. "The stone, did you see the stone drop?"

Kal felt his blood run cold with fear and he stood up straight, despite the fact that he was not one hundred percent. "I thought you had the stone."

Kara shifted both so they could steady each other.

"No Kal, I don't have the stone," Kara told him but there was something about this situation that caused her to become even more flushed. The blonde held him up until he could walk on his own. "This isn't good at all."

Kal's face flushed. "You think."

Kara shook her head in an exasperated manner. "I don't think, I know."

Kara placed her hands on the top of her head, as much as she wished that the situation would turn out for the better, the blonde knew that much to be true. She shook her head and tried to keep her mind on the task of finding the stone. There would be more than enough time to panic later, now she had to focus, and she needed to find them a way off the island.

"Okay, something's happened to my powers," Kara told him as she turned around and kept a close eye on the island. "Maybe it's because something's happened on the island?"

Clark looked thoughtful. "You're thinking that there's something on the island that might be sapping our powers."

"It can't be the sun," Kara remarked as she watched the tender embrace of the yellow sunlight above her head. If it turned red, then there would be a problem as they would be as weak as a human and their injuries likely would have been fatal from the altitude they crashed into the island.

"Okay, okay," Kal told her as he waved his hand, breathing in and out. "First we find the stone, then we find a way to get our powers back, then we find a way to get back to civilization….you don't think it might be the stone, do you?"

Kara blinked and Kal stated what he meant.

"I mean, someone could have gotten the stone and used it to screw with our powers," Kal elaborated as he rubbed his forehead and Kara looked thoughtful. "It's not the most illogical thing that could happen, you know."

Kara sighed and she felt that her cousin had a point which meant if someone had the stone, then it was off the island. But despite that fact, they had to keep searching as if their lives depended on it and they pretty much did.

They might have been knocked out for a couple of days as well, which made things more problematic.

* * *

Jonathan tapped his fingers on the table as he debated whether or not he would even attend the funeral of Lex Luthor. While he didn't see eye to eye with Lex, it would be the proper thing to pay his respects.

"Did you hear the news? They found most of the plane in the sea."

Jonathan nodded his head briskly, he heard it.

Martha could tell that her husband was in a thoughtful mood after what happened with Clark and there were times where she wondered what place they would have in the future of their son. Surely the foundation that they build should be worth something. She feared that things were not going to turn out too well for her son. Martha placed her hands on her forehead.

There was a knock on the door and Martha jumped up to see if it was her son.

"Oh, Chloe, hi," Martha responded in a flat voice which prompted Chloe to raise a shocked eyebrow.

"Roll out the welcome wagon why don't you, Mrs. K?" Chloe asked with a smile.

"Sorry, it's just….Clark," Martha stated in an apologetic tone of voice.

"He's not here if that's what you're asking," Jonathan chimed in and Chloe nodded her head.

"I figured he wouldn't be here," Chloe commented with a slow and brisk nod before she let the shoe drop. "His other mother….well she didn't know where he was and that was almost three days ago."

This caused Jonathan and Martha to stop in their tracks and gawk at Chloe.

"And the expression that I've grown two heads indicates that you don't know that he told me about his….origins," Chloe remarked, nearly dropping her voice to a light whisper.

"Did you find out on your own or did he tell you?" Jonathan asked Chloe, trying to figure out what amount of damage control, if any, he would have to do.

"Relax, I'm not about to sell Clark out," Chloe said in a reassuring tone of voice, although she could tell that the Kents were tense and she could respect that. If someone had to hold onto a secret for that long, well that would make anyone tense and Chloe wondered how the Kents did not lose their minds for all of those years. "But the project that he's working on….I hate to say this but….she sounded really concerned."

Jonathan nodded gruffly in response.

"If Lara is concerned and she doesn't know where he went…."

Martha trailed off as she placed her hands on the side of her face and threw her head back, before sighing to the heavens.

"We just have to ride it out, pretend that nothing is wrong," Martha murmured as she wondered how to explain things to the school if Clark did not show up this fall. She did not believe that he would be gone that long but at the same time, the way Kara and Lara were talking, the fact that he would try and pursue his normal education might get in the way with what he was destined to accomplish.

Jonathan had a problem with that and he pinpointed that straight away. "If he doesn't show up at Lex's funeral, people are going to notice."

Chloe interpreted people in her mind to mean "Lionel Luthor."

"Luthor's looking around the caves."

Jonathan waved his hand, this was far from new news to him, Lionel Luthor's obsession grew with each passing day and with his son in the center of it, he was about ready to clash with him.

"Lionel's got teams posted all around the cave now, it will take an act of god to get someone in, at least in the daytime."

The Kents turned around and saw the redhead girl who turned up.

"Patricia Swann, I don't think that we've been introduced," Patricia stated as she extended a hand for the Kents to be shaken but they both paused, apprehensive so she slowly retracted it. "My father would come here but….well you know he has his own reason to do what he does."

There was really no more to be said than this and Patricia reached forward, offering a hand to the Kents and this time they took it. Although she had a sense that they were a bit shaken up, which was quite understandable because if she was on the other end of this issue, she would have been rather shaken up as well but there was a moment where she turned her head a tiny bit and breathed in with a sigh.

"I guess that we've got a lot of our work cut out for us."

Jonathan said this statement with a certain amount of clarity, but there was something with the conviction in his voice that was loud.

"So what are we going to do about Lex's funeral?"

That was a question that was voiced by Martha and to be honest; Jonathan had not make up his mind. There might be questions that would be asked if they did not show up but there would be even more questions that would be asked if they showed up without Clark there. The friendship with Clark and Lex, whilst something that many would not understand, was not something that they could ignore.

"I don't know, let me think about it," Jonathan stated but he realized that if there were questions about Clark, then surely that meant that there were priorities that were misplaced. The day should be about Lex's unfortunate and probable demise.

Then again, this was Lionel Luthor they were talking about. So there was no telling how things would turn out.

* * *

Kara normally felt a lot of pride in herself but she placed her hands on her hips and couldn't help but wonder if this was the point where she might have to concede that they were lost beyond lost. She tried not to be anything but certain in herself. However this certainty was something that was lost in the back of her mind. The blonde edged herself forward but at least Kal was able to walk on his own accord.

Those were baby steps that Kara could be happy with and the blonde edged across the island.

"Kara, stop."

Kara stopped and it was a good thing that he said something. There was something rustling in the bushes. Then again, they were on an island but maybe it was an inhabited one. The blonde heard the ringing and bit down on her lip, before edged forward. Her hearing was not as sharp as it was before the attack.

"Yeah you heard that too, didn't you?"

"Yes," Kal agreed as both of them stood rigid. There was someone on the other end of the bushes.

Kara closed her eyes and tried to get a sense of the surroundings around her. Once that did not work, her eyes opened back up and there was a loud crash, along with the sound of voices.

She came to one conclusion, the people who were here; they knew that they were here as much as Kara and Kal knew that they were here. Both Kryptonians watched through the bushes with trepidation and nervousness. The two of them edged forward but there was someone who moved close.

"Trespassers on the island, impossible!"

Kara might be new to this planet but there was something universal about that tone no matter what the planet. The tell-tale signs of anger resided in this woman's tone. They were like some kind of demented pack of wolves.

Kal eyed them immediately; there was something about the fact that he was accosted by these women with spears that sparked something within him. It caused him to become extremely angry and that spark continued to fester. He blocked the spear in their hand with a swift motion.

"You know, it's rude trying to stab an intruder in the chest," Kal commented before he hoisted up the woman and threw her off her feet with a tremendous amount of force.

"Impossible!"

"I disagree, it's very possible," Kal interjected as he put his hands on his hips before something flared in his eyes. "Would any of you ladies like an encore?"

He noticed the armor they were wearing, very Spartan if he remembered his history right or at least rather influenced by that type. There was another attempt to stab Clark in the chest but he blocked the spear once again. The Last Son of Krypton flung the warrior woman head over heels.

Kara decided to help her cousin out and aimed her heat vision. It sliced through the spears, causing them to heat up in the hands of the attackers. They shrieked and staggered back before the blonde shot forward, retaining some of her abilities to fly before she elbowed her in the side of the face. Another shot knocked the woman down.

"What is their problem?" Kal asked and Kara's response was so nonchalant that it took Kal completely off guard.

"Well off the top of my head, I think that they need to get laid," Kara suggested as she knocked them down with fluid motions. She yanked the spears from their hands and used their own leverage against them to take them down.

"We do not wish to harm you but if you defend him…."

Kara didn't even bother to hear what ultra-feminist declaration that these women were about to give, for she nailed the one speaking in the jaw with a haymaker punch. Kal grabbed two of the women and jumped them out harm's way. They gave a shocked yell, not used to being dominated by the opposite sex. This both angered and excited them.

Kara smirked, it had to be good for them, given some of their attitudes were permanently set to hostile bitch.

"Wait, stop!"

The woman stopped attacking immediately and Kara pulled her punch back. The sudden lack of hostility within them caught the blonde off guard and Kara spun around to see the person who approached.

"What's the meaning of this?"

There was a stunning tall woman who walked onto the scene. She was a picture of feminine beauty with long raven black hair that went down past her shoulders. Her dazzling blue eyes lit up with passion and intensity. The white toga she wore wrapped around her amazing breasts and ample curves. One could see a hip of her shapely hips and long legs, with white sandals showing the top of her perfect feet.

Kara and Kal watched her, both transfixed and unable to turn away. Both tried to stop themselves from drooling.

"Princess, begging your pardon but….there was a man."

"Yes," the Princess stated as she crossed her arms as she surveyed them through narrowed eyes. She was curious about Man's World but her mother forbade any such excursions to that end of the world.

"He was on the island and we tried to show him off."

"And by that you mean you attacked me!"

"SILENCE!"

One of the more hostile women aimed her spear but Kara snatched it out of her hands before she could do anything. The blonde snapped it in half like it was a twig, not in the mood to put up with this shit.

"Next time it might be your arm," Kara responded, daring the woman in question to contradict her. The women all stepped forward.

"And this one….she's been tainted by their ways."

"Has my mother not taught you anything about respect and tolerance? You should all be ashamed of yourself!"

The raven haired woman was not happy at all but she turned her attention to the young man who watched her. He radiated a certain amount of power and was the first man she remembered ever seeing in her life. So she studied him carefully, taking in every inch of his body, looking at the muscles that were present even underneath his shirt.

"I'm Princess Diana of the Amazons, welcome to Themiscrya."

"I'm Kal-El of Krypton," Kal stated as he held his hand forward, staring at her beauty, it was radiant. "And this is Kara."

"Pleased to meet you," Kara commented, pleased that someone on this island had some sense.

"Well Kal, Kara, come here, make yourself at home, I trust there won't be any problems."

Diana was curious about knowing more about how he got here and what his story was.

**To Be Continued in the Next Chapter "Rest Stop on the Island."**


	10. Chapter 009: Reststop in Paradise

**Chapter Nine "Reststop at the Island.**

Being a princess and a warrior, Diana had a certain amount of pride that was ingrained within her but even she would admit that there would be a lot of faults that came with said pride. Still, her sisters decided to take it upon themselves to attack a person without hearing them out, well that was something that annoyed her. She took a moment to rein in her temper before she addressed Kal and Kara. A nervous smile appeared on her face as she locked eyes with both of them and then turned a biting look towards her fellow Amazons, who actually had the decency to look ashamed.

"I hope neither of you will judge the Amazons on the actions of a select few," Diana commented as she crossed her arms and Kal inclined his head with a smile crossing his face. "Not all of us are like that, trust me."

"I trust you," Kal stated as he reached forward and grabbed Diana around the hand to show that he was not mad at her. "So, you're the person who is in charge around here?"

Diana shook her head in negative as she slumped her shoulders but then adjusted her stance to stand tall or taller then she had before. "No, I'm afraid that I don't have the pleasure of being in charge, it's my mother who runs things on the island. Hippolyta, she's the Queen of the Amazons you see."

"I do see," Kal remarked with a grin as he invited her to go forward. "Why don't you lead the way and we'll discuss more about how we got here."

Diana smiled, she would enjoy that very much. In fact she was curious about how Kal and Kara got here, it was not often that the island had visitors and if this was how they conducted themselves around others, they might not have any more visitors any time soon. The raven haired princess watched both of them, they were both unlike anything she'd ever seen before.

"It all started when we were on a mission to get a stone that was tied for my heritage," Kal commented and Diana nodded with a smile. "You know, Krypton."

Diana decided to offer a question that was flowing through her mind. "So what is Krypton? Is it another hidden place like this island?"

"What do you mean hidden like the island?" Kara asked as she piped up.

Kal thought that was a fair question as well and Diana was only too pleased to explain about the island and the unique properties of it.

"Many years ago, longer than even Man's World has been around, this place was founded by the five creator goddesses to give women a place to thrive. It is a culture that is amazing. We are a proud warrior race, although we have borrowed the aspects of many cultures from the women who have exiled to the island. We are a mixture of many civilizations that have been lost to time and forgotten by the world except as a historical footnote."

Diana saw that she had Kara and Kal's attention so she continued to strike whilst the iron was hot.

"Time doesn't pass on this island all that fast so we age at a reduced rate," Diana remarked as she kept her eyes on Kal and Kara as they continued their walk to the imperial palace of the island. "Months could pass on the island but only a few seconds could pass in the real world. And the funny thing is that no one could really find the island unless they had explicit permission to visit here or they had been judged by the goddesses that they were worthy of entrance."

"Something that those trigger happy Amazons should have known," Kal stated and Diana offered him a tense expression with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry."

"No it's quite alright, I agreed with you," Diana remarked with a grin as she stepped back and smiled as Kal's expression became more relaxed. She did hope that her mother would be a bit more receptive to these visitors but if she was not, well it was not the first time Diana butted heads with her mother in recent memory.

"Glad to see we're all on the same page, and there's a sane person on the island," Kara piped in with a bright smile as she hovered above the ground. She always hovered when her nerves were on edge.

Kal asked the question that had been building up in the back of Kara's mind.

"So do you have any idea why we lost our powers?"

Diana cupped her hand to her chin, a combination of confusion and thoughtfulness appeared on her face. The raven haired Amazon closed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair deep in thought. She popped them back open before shaking her head, an apologetic expression crossing her face.

"I'm afraid I don't have any idea, my mother might know something though," Diana stated although her working theory was that it was something to do with the unique properties of the island and the mystical energies in the air. She had no idea about the origins of Kara and Kal's powers, in fact a certain question had been sidestepped that she'd like to return to. "So where is Krypton?"

"Actually it should be where was Krypton," Kal responded as Diana stopped in her tracks and eyed him appraisingly. He drew in a breath before talking in a voice that was far bolder than anything that he ever said before. "The planet was destroyed just months after I was born."

"There was a tyrant who destroyed the planet, tried to blow it up out of spite," Kara commented and now Kal was interested, this was fresh information for him. He watched Kara who had some knowledge of the history of the planet. "His name was General Zod and likely someone who your sisters may have drawn their impression of the world of men from if they knew him."

Diana stopped at the foot of the steps and sat down. Kal and Kara did the same.

"Zod was once one of the greatest military leaders Krypton ever saw," Kara explained to both of them, feeling that Kal could use a history lesson. "His…..well his sanity slipped a little bit. He had this habit of having other men kneel before him. He and a devoted group of followers tried to take over the Kryptonian government through a violet coup. They were all caught. Some of them died but Zod was stripped of his body and banished to the Phantom Zone."

Naturally that was something that Kal did not know about so Kara only happily filled him in.

"The Phantom Zone is a dimension that is everywhere yet is nowhere," Kara continued and Kal responded with a nod to indicate that he understood. "It was a home to some of the worst criminals in the twenty eight galaxies and for all I know, there are other planets that are still using it. The House of El adopted the use of the Phantom Zone thousands of years ago."

Kal found all of this fascinating.

"But Zod's gone so there's no chance of him coming back, isn't there?" Diana asked and Kara smiled.

"There's sadly always a chance of evil like that returning. The question is whether or not we'll be ready for it should he come."

All this talk about the planet and the history of his planet made Kal remember something.

"The Stone."

"I beg your pardon," Diana responded with a raised eyebrow and Kal elaborated the statement with a grimace.

"The stone, we had it when we were here on the island, it contains information regarding our planet's history and has extraordinary powers," Kal stated to her in an urgent voice before he got up to his feet.

"Kal wait…."

"I'm not waiting, you heard what my mother said, if that stone falls into the wrong hands it will be a catastrophe."

He drew in a breath before he sped off.

Diana turned to Kara with a raised eyebrow as she looked at the blonde. "Is he always this impulsive?"

Kara closed her eyes and shook her head. A shadow of a smile moved around her lips. "He gets it from his father's side of the family."

* * *

Kal returned sometime later, flustered and frustrated. Kara and Diana sat on the steps making light conversation but Diana put the word out for the stone for Kal to see if she could help them.

"I asked some of the Amazons if they saw the stone," Diana commented to Kal as he turned back up and the Last Son of Krypton looked at her with a grateful expression on his face as she did so. "So far, nothing has turned up but they'll keep searching."

"I appreciate it, because I looked high and low and can't find it," Kal stated as he thought about stepping off the island but given what he figured out so far, there were going to be more than a few problems regarding trying to get certain things done. They were too weak power wise to leave the island, especially given Kara's sudden lack of flight. Diana reached forward and placed a strong arm around Kal's waist.

"Don't despair, although there is a chance that you may have lost it on your way here."

Not despairing was the exact opposite of what Kal did as he heard those thoughts and he closed his eyes and felt his heart beat a bit faster, before he opened his eyes back up. There was no use trying to beat himself up over these things, he just had to step forward and get these things done.

"I believe we've left the queen waiting too long," Kal commented and Diana offered him a smile.

"My mother is a patient woman to a degree. Although I'm sure others may have told her tales of how you ruthlessly assaulted them."

Kal was afraid of that but he refused to back down from a bunch of warrior women. Even if they outnumbered them and likely would have curbed stomped him something fierce if he did not have the element of surprise but that was beside the point. The true point was that Kal held his head up as he prepared to hold court with the queen of the Amazons.

Hippolyta peered down at Kal. She was a woman who resembled an older version of Diana which made a great deal of sense considering that she was the mother of the Princess of the Amazons. She crossed her arms and eyed Kal with an expression that made him feel a tad bit uncomfortable.

"So this is the visitor to the island," Hippolyta stated briskly but Kal stood up to face her.

"Yes, the visitor that your guards attacked."

Diana smiled, impressed, he was willing to fight her mother. That made her interest in him spike up a few degrees.

"That's not the story that I heard," Hippolyta responded as she watched Kal.

"Well the story you heard was a byproduct of your Amazons getting knocked around when they tried to ruthlessly assault a visitor," Kal responded in a bold voice, challenging the queen to respond to him.

Hippolyta stood to her feet and stared down Kal. Kal stared back and it was an intense battle of wills between the two of them. Two of her royal guards stepped forward to engage Kal in battle but he turned, his eyes flickering towards them, dangerously watching them.

"Do you really want to try your luck against me again?"

The women gasped at the gall of this visitor trying something with them and they were about to attempt something, perhaps attack him once more but Kal stared them down, almost begging them to bring it because he was not going to lay down and take it from these women ever again. The two groups stared back and forth and the tension rose so high that one could cut it with a knife.

"Stand down."

Hippolyta ordered her guards back and they eyed the Queen with an expression that indicated that they were not doing this willingly. They only did this because of the respect they had for her and were willing to listen to her.

"You are a bold young man, Kal-El of Krypton," Hippolyta commented as she watched him without any fear and he returned her gaze evenly his eyes showing his own lack of fear "Only a handful of men have ever come across this island. But none of them have been brazen enough to stand before me without fear and to be arrogant enough to think that they stand a chance in an even battle against the bold Amazon warriors."

"I don't think, my history speaks for itself," Kal remarked as Kara's eyes widened, she both admired her cousin's bravery and questioned his sanity. Not to mention she kind of feared for his life but she supposed that it was a good thing that he was finally growing a spine. "Last time these noble warriors attack me it seemed as if they got the worst end of the deal."

"Quite," Hippolyta offered as she stepped down from the throne and she held a sword in her hand that one of her guards handed her. For a brief mad second, Kal thought that the queen was going to attack him.

'_Mother,' _Diana thought in an exasperated tone because Kal was not the only one who thought that Hippolyta was primed for attack.

"Let it be known that you have done something that no man has in quite some time," Hippolyta continued before her eyes locked onto Kal's. "You have earned my respect."

Kal nodded in a stoic manner and he stood proud, not blinking, not backing down.

"You might be unrefined in many ways but there is a true warrior spirit within you," Hippolyta stated in a bold tone. "I admire that and hope that it will serve you well while you are a guest on this island."

"Your majesty…."

"He may stay for as long as he wishes, along with his companion," Hippolyta said sternly as she watched them and the other Amazons did not look happy. They respected their queen, so they had to agree.

True they could try and fight her on it but it would end badly. Hippolyta was the fiercest warrior of them all and she did not just grow soft because she held the throne. So fighting her would be something that was not conductive to their long term health.

"Diana, please show them to their quarters."

"Of course," Diana stated with a bow towards her mother, fearing for a second that she would have to break up a fight between her mother and the young man who had caught her eye when he landed on the island.

* * *

"That could have gone a lot worse than it did," Diana remarked in a tense tone of voice, the truth was she expected a fight.

"It could have," Kara agreed with her and Kal stood up straight a smile crossing his face.

"It did feel good to stand up."

"And you earned my mother's respect which is something that is not earned easily," Diana added with an impressed expression on her face. There was something about this Kal that intrigued her and she was looking forward to spending some time getting to known him and Kara. "I don't know how long either of you intend to stay on the island."

Kal remarked in a frank tone of voice. "As long as it takes for our powers to come back."

"Yeah, we're pretty much grounded until that happens," Kara stated as she jumped up but most frustratingly she could not fly. She did not know why she could not fly. There was something that happened when they went down and neither of them could figure out what happened.

"That's too bad," Diana remarked in a sincere tone of voice but she snapped her fingers. "You were pretty decent out there both of you but I think that both of you only have rudimentary fighting skills at best."

Kal turned towards Diana and stared at her but to her credit she returned his gaze with equal intensity.

"It's not meant as an insult, merely an observation," Diana clarified with a shrug and a smile, she did hope that those skills would improve given enough time. Kara and Kal had the spirit of true warriors and if she could bring that out of both of them, then that would give her some purpose in life. "It's just….well life on the island is nothing but sparring and fighting and sitting here contemplating life in general."

"That sounds…."

"I know what it sounds like," Diana interjected before she turned around and sighed.

Life on the island made her feel at home but at the same time, Diana could not shake the feeling that there was a wide world out there that was full of adventure for her. She wanted to hear more tales about what was going on in the outside world from two people who lived there.

"Maybe you could train us?" Kal asked her and Diana was broken out of her thoughts, a smile crossing her face.

"I didn't think you would bring up that point," Diana said as she placed her hand on Kal's strong arm and a smirk twisted across her face. "But you know, it would be a good idea if you did get some training."

Kara, in particular, looked forward to that venture, her powers were well and good but if she ever got in a situation where she could not use them or worse had someone who was stronger than her, some kind practical fighting abilities would not go amiss. She looked forward to what she could do as an eager smile popped across her face.

"I'd enjoy that very much," Kara stated happily and Kal agreed with a nod.

"Yes, I'm looking forward to learning from you," Kal responded as he thought that there would be situations where his powers would not be able to bail him out. So it was important for him to learn a few things. He was eager to do something. "And maybe we can find out what's keeping us from tapping into our full powers."

There was something that told Kal that there was an answer, perhaps right underneath his nose but it was a matter of locating it in due time. The young Kryptonian leaned against one of the towers and pondered his predicament; the bulb gave an eerie sort of blue glow that practically bathed the island.

Diana placed her hand on her chin and nodded with a smile. "I'm curious about that as well but I guess both of us will find out when the time is right."

"The three of us," Kara concluded with a grin and Diana looked at the blonde, admiring the spirit that was within her.

"My mistake," Diana answered in an apologetic tone of voice and Kara smiled, before she placed her arm on Diana's waist and covertly leaned against her.

Kal, in a surprisingly brazen move, did the same. Diana did not say anything, she merely cast an appraising eye towards him and the expression on her face was filled with some degree of mirth. She thought that this Kal….well he would be an interesting one to know.

'_And I intend to get to know him really well if all of the cards fall properly into place,' _Diana thought to herself and the possibilities of what she might do danced through her mind.

The truth was that she would figure that out when the time was right. Diana could wait, they had plenty of time on the island. There was also the fact that they needed to find the stone and that fact weighed in the back of Diana's mind. She crossed her arms before leading them forward.

"If you need anything from me, I'll be right across the way," Diana told them and Kal responded with a grin.

"Oh if I need anything from you?" Kal asked with a knowing smile crossing his face.

Kara smiled but she did not show her pride because it would betray her. Kal's instincts had not been dulled by his human upbringing he saw a strong woman and he would do anything to have her. It was no less than Kara expected from her cousin and she looked forward to adding Diana to his collective.

"Yes, don't be afraid to ask anything of me," Diana commented with a smile as she shifted her position.

Kal found himself watching her legs and the hint of cleavage that she displayed, it was a delight to drink in and something that caused stirrings in certain parts of his body. The Last Son of Krypton saw a strong and brave woman that he needed to learn more about.

"Good night, Kal and Kara, sleep well," Diana concluded as she turned around and slipped off into the distance.

She was not going to lie, she knew fairly well what Kal was staring at as she left but soon there would be plenty of time for fun between the two of them. The fact of the matter was she saw a strong mate that could potentially dominate her and she could do likewise, that thrilled Diana. She felt the potential for gratification that she could not get with her sisters on the island but now she had the chance.

"We will," Kal stated knowing what his dreams would be invaded by tonight.

Kara followed him with a smile, thoughts of seedy threesomes dancing in her head.

* * *

Kara sat on the edge of the steps at the pavilion the next morning, dressed in a red tank top that showed off her cleavage and cute little belly button, along with her toned midsection that did not have an ounce of fat. Her jean shorts hugged her hips rather tightly and she decided to forego any shoes, showcasing her bare feet with cute little toes and elegant arches.

The last few weeks since she woken up from stasis had been a roller coaster ride, to borrow a phrase that she overheard from humans, but there would be even more thrills to come. The problem that vexed her was the fact that the stone, which she was certain Kal had in his hands when they dropped, slipped from his hands.

"Deep thoughts this morning?"

Diana broke Kara out of her thoughts and the blonde spun around, offering the dark haired Amazon a grin. Said Amazon parked herself next to Kara who placed her hands on her chin and inclined her head forward. She thought long and hard before she answered Diana in a deliberate tone of voice.

"One might say that."

Diana placed her arm around Kara before she shifted towards her with a smile. "Don't be afraid to say what you mean. You never know what might come out of it."

"No, I never know," Kara agreed with a bright smile before she took a moment to look at the nature surrounding them. Taking in all of it's beauty made her appreciate the finer things in life. The blonde placed a hand on her chin and threw her head back with a slight sigh. "So I'm here on the island and it's a great place."

"Thank you, I wasn't sure that mother was going to allow you to stay," Diana offered as she seemed relieved.

"I just….now don't take this the wrong way, you know that I'm finding a way to enjoy myself on the island?" Kara inquired and Diana gave her a warm smile that caused Kara to know that she was well received. "I just….when I came here, it was get up and go, go and fly, everywhere but….now there's something since I got shot down on the island that's holding me back."

Diana looked thoughtful.

"Maybe there was something in those missiles that caused your powers to go off kilter."

"Maybe," Kara admitted in a grudging tone of voice but there was something that told her that there was more to what happened than met the eye. If she could piece it together, the blonde might be able to figure out what to do next. "I just hope that I figure it out soon because….well I'm coming to the conclusion that the stone isn't anywhere on the island."

She smiled before snickering a little bit.

"Kal on the other hand, well he's persistent in his pursuits of the stone," Kara remarked in a fond voice. "He's gone out today, on a search for it, a hunt for it, and he won't let up. Bless him, he's peristant."

"I hope he doesn't run into trouble," Diana remarked, a part of her thought she was joking but there was another part of her that was deadly serious, almost as serious as a heart attack.

Kara felt some overwhelming dread fill her although she could not place it. Then again, their time on the island, they could finally have some downtime. At least it allowed her to sit back and cool her jets a tiny bit. The blonde appreciated that downtime and she thought about that.

"How about a little sparring session?" Diana asked as she watched Kara before the Amazon added. "You know, for the fun of it."

Kara nodded, she was interested and she would have to say that she was a bit intimidated. She thought that she was tall but Diana towered over her, standing about a head taller than her, maybe more.

The Princess watched Kara with an appraising look on her face. "So, how much do you know about sparring?"

Honesty was the best policy, even if said honesty was brutal honest.

"Not much," Kara admitted but Diana gave her a smile of reassurance.

"Okay, that's fine, you might have some natural instincts," Diana offered, she thought that Kara had the potential; it was a matter of training her up.

Kara nodded, she hoped that Diana was right but there was a fluttering of butterflies in her stomach. She used her powers a little bit against those thugs but they were against normal humans, who were very much not her equals. Not that normal humans could not be strong but they were punch clock bruisers, they were easy to handle.

Diana was another matter entirely, she was an equal, in fact if Kara had to grudgingly admit it, she was a superior.

"So hit me with your best shot then."

That encouragement fueled the natural competitive drive from Kara and she aimed a kick to Diana's face but Diana caught her foot and flung Kara into the air. The blonde flipped over onto her face and Diana grabbed her, before pinning her face first onto the dirt.

Kara found it hard to concentrate with Diana on top of her, pressed up against her in such an intimate way. The blonde closed her eyes before she tried to summon up her strength to push out of the hold. She was a bit stronger than she was yesterday but it was still hard as Diana knew how to get the leverage to put Kara down.

"Not bad for a first try," Diana commented and Kara looked at her like she was just humoring the alien. Diana scoffed. "Look, I wasn't all that good the first few times I trained. All of the times my mother knocked me around when she taught me, my bruises have bruises."

'_Come to think of it, my mother still knocks me around in sparring,' _Diana thought to herself.

Kara was determined to attack a second time, this time for underneath, but Diana caught her around the waist and flipped her over. The blonde landed on her face and Diana swung a punch but Kara blocked it. She tried to use the momentum to flip Diana over but it was done a bit clumsily. The blonde struggled and Diana hoisted her up into the air.

Diana flew Kara and threw her halfway across the sparring area on the island. She crashed but scrambled back up to her feet, determination flashing through her eyes.

'_I won't go down that easily, Princess,' _Kara thought to herself as she tried to aim a kick but Diana avoided it.

"Again!"

Kara swung a punch but Diana blocked it. She grabbed Kara's arms in a full nelson, pinning the girl's arms back. The blonde tried to jump up and use her leverage to break the attack.

The blonde tried another ill-fated attack but she was tossed to the ground like a piece of paper and was slammed down to the ground. Diana grabbed Kara and pinned her down to the ground, straddling her, they pressed crotch to crotch and their breasts pressed together.

Kal choose this moment to show up and he raised an eyebrow.

"This isn't what it looks like," Diana said hastily as she saw Kal who stared at her.

Maybe he was naïve enough where she could pass this up as innocent and not that she felt the desire to take his cousin as a right of conquest for winning their little sparring session. Diana had a few encounters with other women on the island. After all they were cut off from men, how else were they going to get gratification?

"Oh, isn't it?" Kal asked as he watched them. "I was wondering when you two ladies were going to ask me to join you."

There was a special inflection on the term "join you" that caused both Kara and Diana to feel a little bit flushed. In particular a warmth spread from Diana's loins and she felt a sensation, a desire to rip off his clothes and have her way with him. Then she'd have Kara as well, after all why settle for one, when you could have both?

Maybe he wasn't as naïve as it looked.

"So sparring are we?" Kal asked as he stepped forward and eyed Diana with a predatory smile. "How about you go a few rounds with me?"

Diana shut her eyes but then opened then and watched him, staying calm, staying cool, staying collected.

"A few rounds, yeah, Kara didn't fare too well," Diana remarked and Kara crossed her arms with a pout. "Maybe you can do better."

Diana rushed forward to grab Kal but Kal sped behind her, before grabbing her around the waist and forcing her to the ground.

"Not…bad," Diana stammered slightly as she tried to push out, as Kal got on top of her and pinned her to the ground.

He was so strong, Diana could hardly believe it. He stepped back to let her up.

She went for a punch but he dodged it, grabbed her legs and forced her to the ground, pinning her down once again.

There were great reflexes as well at work. He was on top her, they were so close together. They were almost touching but not really.

"So, how was my first impression?" Kal breathed in her ear hotly, feeling the effects of the red Kryptonite that now seemed to be permanently a part of him kick in as his adrenaline pumped.

"Good…very….you're good," Diana thought as she closed her eyes and sighed. "Please."

"Please, what?" Kal asked her with a smile but her pride did not allow her to say what she wanted.

At least not now.

"So do you want to go again?" Kal asked Diana and she watched him, before aiming another kick.

Kal grabbed her by the leg which he used to yank her forwards, and off balance using that leverage he pinned her to the ground hard with such strength that she could not believe it. Kara watched, impressed.

"Farm chores, dealing that prepares me for anything," Kal commented as he accidentally brushed his hand across her covered breast which caused Diana to shiver and more moisture to pool between her legs.

The sparring session was not over, no it was just beginning.

"So, I thought we were a proud warrior race?" Kal asked as he invited Diana to take another shot at him.

She smiled, it wasn't over yet.

"So, are you ready to do this for real?" Diana asked as she offered him a predatory smile.

Kal's expression widened. "Yes for real….as in you were holding back."

Diana's grin got wider. "Figured I'd didn't have to any more, given that farm chores prepared you for anything after all."

They moved into battle stance and this time Diana used Clark's momentum against him, before throwing him to the ground.

Kara winced, that's what her cousin got for being too cocky for his own good. That was Jor-El's half of the genes screwing him over in the worst way as she watched Diana knock him around a little bit.

* * *

A few days passed on the island and Kal thought that he might be a bit too relaxed, but given that very little time would have passed outside of the island in the real world, there would be plenty of time for him to get out and resume his search for the stone. The Kryptonian stepped forward that night, deciding to take a walk to clear his head of the many thoughts that ran through it.

"Good evening, Kal."

Kal saw Diana standing at the edge of a cool spring dressed in nothing but a white towel. Said towel wrapped around her curves snugly and Kal watched her, feeling a tightening in the pants that he wore. Her dark hair hung long, her blue eyes simmered with passion, her rosy lips were rather kissable, her breasts were big and firm, she had a toned body with the right combination of muscles and femininity.

"Hello Diana," Kal responded as she turned around and slowly dropped the towel which allowed him to get sight of her rather shapely posterior. His eyes watched it with a simmering burning gaze.

"Care to join me?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Kal remarked with a grin across his face as he stripped his clothes off to join Diana in the spring.

Diana and Kal sat naked in the cool and relaxing water, before she looked at him with a smile on her face, innocent but predatory at the same time.

"So care to wash my back?"

Kal didn't need to be asked twice.

**To Be Continued In the Next Chapter. **


	11. Plans and Preparations

**Chapter Ten "Plans and Preparations."**

Kal had his clothes stripped completely off and could not believe his luck. She was amazing, sitting there in the light, in all of her glory and the glory of Diana could be quite glorious. He could hardly believe the vision of beauty that waited for him and he knew that there was one thing for him to do. He stepped forward and stepped into the cooling water, before he put himself in the water alongside her.

"So what…."

"Wash my back, it isn't that hard," Diana responded with an impish grin that flickered through the moonlight before she turned towards him. "Unless you're scared of some intimate contact, without any barriers."

Kal grabbed the rag in the water and slowly rubbed her back, with circular motions which caused her to close her eyes in pleasure. Diana felt his strong hand move against her and she pushed back against him, to cause the necessary amount of friction between the two of them. She was getting far more than she ever thought that she would, and she made sure to sit on his lap, grinding her ass against his crotch as he made circular motions to lather her up.

Diana bit down on her lip as Kal continued to work her over and a slight moan escaped from her lips but she played it cool.

"What?"

"Continue," Diana encouraged him as the washrag worked around her back and Diana leaned back, scooting back against him, grinding herself into him ever so slightly. She shifted towards him, allowing him further access to her and felt his hand brush against her, as the cool water splashed against him.

Kal could not believe it as he allowed his hands to roam the body of this Amazon beauty, getting more daring by each passing moment. He used his hands to skim down below her waist as she rubbed against him. Was she trying to get him off? It sure felt like it as she grinded herself onto him.

"Keep going Kal," Diana breathed as his strong hands worked over her. Another moan escaped her lips as she grinded against him. There were no issues that she had about this, she was proud of her body and she could see that he should have nothing to be ashamed of either. She closed her eyes and allowed the pleasure to rush through her, so much pleasure that filled her body.

Kal concluded washing her back and she arched up, to present her rear towards him.

"My entire backside Kal, go ahead, touch it, it won't hurt you."

Kal touched it and placed his hands all over her shapely posterior, it was tanned and toned, as he imagined doing all sorts of wicked things to it, to her. He felt himself twitch a slight bit underneath her body as he used his hands to grab her and feel her all over. His mind went haywire as he touched her and a smile crossed his face as he continued to work over her, washing her with delight and a smile crossing his face.

"How's that?" Kal asked Diana and she smiled at him.

"Divine, Kal, simply divine."

Diana allowed him to continue to wash her before she spun around and straddled him, in a bold move.

"Diana," Kal responded as she cupped him with a smile. She saw him grow and she analyzed him.

"I want you," Diana breathed heavily in his ear as she straddled him and rubbed herself down across his swollen head to cause him to rise even more.

Kal spun her over and pushed her down onto the ground, before he began to kiss her intensely. She returned the kiss, the residual Red Kryptonite kicking back in. The effects increased for the both of them as the two of them worked themselves into a fevered frenzy with the intense kiss.

Diana wrapped her strong legs around Kal's waist and held him into place. He was not going anywhere, but why would he want to?

**Smut/Lemon Begins**

-PROFILE-

**Lemon Scene Ends. **

* * *

Kal rested on the ground with Diana draped over one side of him and Kara draped over the other. The two girls on either side of him, well there was something about that situation that felt right. These two beautiful girls on either side of him, it was something that he could get used to. He closed his eyes and rested for a while as he held their two sexy bodies against him.

It was amazing how his life changed in a matter of months, at first he struggled to get with any girls, then he got two of them in as many months and he longed for the even more beauties on his arms. That was the great thing about beautiful women, they were always room for more although Kara and Diana would be a huge mountain to top.

Then again, the beauty of women came in many shapes and sizes and variety was the spice of life, at least that's what Kal thought. He rested with both of them, Kara and Diana rested in his arms, both of them waking up after the intense night that they had. The three of them had a lot of fun pushing each other to the brink of their limits and they ended the night achieving more pleasure than ever before.

"So how are two of my favorite girls this morning?" Kal asked as he draped an arm around Kara's waist and pulled Diana onto his shoulder before she offered a smile towards him and turned towards him, an appraising expression twinkling in her eyes.

"Just two of your favorite?" Diana asked with an amused expression in her eyes before Kara picked back right back up where Diana left off, with equal amusement in her voice.

"We'll see how charming Hippolyta is when she finds out that you've been boning her daughter," Kara fired back with a look of pure mischief dancing through her eyes before she leaned back. "I mean look at her, look how much you had Diana screaming last night."

"Hera only knows that most of the women on this island need to get laid," Diana allowed with a smile, as she twirled the lasso around her finger. She did not get a chance to use it last night but there was always a next time.

Diana's face contorted into a smile as she ran her fingers down Kal's chest, slowly teasing him with the thoughts of more that was to come. She closed her eyes as Kara snuggled into Kals chest. The three of them were sitting next to each other and none of them were willing to move from their comfortable spot. They could lose themselves in each other, like they had for almost eight hours straight last night. It was nearly lunchtime if they had to hazard a guess.

"I don't think that our little tryst will have gone unnoticed," Diana remarked as Kal looked at her with a raised eyebrow before the Amazon princess decided to elaborate. "Well, let's look at this, the racket the three of us made last night, it could have woken the dead."

Kal was not going to argue with that, last night was a night that he was going to remember, there was no question about it. Diana grabbed his arm tightly and squeezed his bicep as a smile crossed her face. She rested with a slightly goofy grin on her face before she commented on the situation at hand.

"And the news of our little escapades, well I don't think it escaped your attention but it will get back to my mother eventually," Diana remarked in a voice that sounded all too casual for Kal and even Kara shifted a little bit.

"Your mother?" Kal asked, although he felt bold for standing up to the Queen of the Amazons, that was before he did the horizontal mambo with her daughter. The state of what happened last night, well needless to say this reminder made things slightly more interesting.

Diana's face crossed in a bit of smugness. "Yes my mother, the woman that you so boldly stood up to previously. The woman who kind of runs this island and I'm sure what happened won't escape her attention."

Kal understood that much but there was something in his thoughts that allowed logical to go to the forefront. There was a part of him that wondered if Diana was trying to wind him up so he would do something rather glaringly reckless. Granted, when it all came down to everything, Kal needed little to no assistance on that front. He could be pretty reckless if given enough prodding.

That being said, standing up to the queen of an island of powerful warrior woman was one thing. Standing up to the queen of an island of powerful warrior women after one slept with said woman's daughter, well that required something more brazen than Kal thought he was capable of.

Of course times changed and Kal really thought that there was nothing that he could not accomplish any more. He was ready to face the world.

"I've met your mother, she's a really charming lady," Kal responded but Kara's face crossed with a grin.

"We'll see how charming Hippolyta is when she finds out that you've been boning her daughter," Kara fired back with a look of pure mischief dancing through her eyes before she leaned back. "I mean look at her, look how much you've had Diana screaming last night."

"Yes, I've heard her, I was there, I don't think I'd forget that," Kal offered Kara in a shameless tone of voice.

"I thought not."

Kal did feel that if he was going to meet the mother of one of his mates, the first thing he should do was find his clothes.

"You never know, if you did meet her naked, she might want a piece of the action for herself."

"KARA!" Diana responded in an exasperated voice but the blonde smirked.

"Well she is a MILF," Kara responded as she shrugged her shoulders but Kal looked at her, wondering where on Earth Kara picked up that term.

Diana looked at her, eyebrow raised. "What is a MILF?"

"Mother I'd like to f…."

Kara did not finish this statement before Kal clapped his hand onto her mouth and her voice became muffled. The blonde preferred that Kal would muffle her with a different part of his body other than his hand. She did not get her fill of her cousin's creamy filling after last night, that much was for sure. Mischief still flickered through her eyes even though her mouth was shut.

"Kara, I think the two of us should get ready, we've slept in too late," Kal said to the blonde and Kara's lips curled into a devious little smile before she kept her eyes on Kal.

"Oh, should we now?" Kara asked Kal with a mischievous grin crossing her face as Diana wondered about the interplay between the two cousins.

Diana crossed her arms and got to her feet, finding a fresh change of clothes. She feared they had been lost in the night before but they were set up for her on set of rocks, completely clean and dry. Without another word, Diana got dressed, slipping on the white t-shirt and jeans that she had, along with the sandals. She had a headband on and the bracelets already but those were the only things that she wore during last night's escapades.

"So, it's time for us to face the queen," Kal responded but Kara corrected him.

"No, it's time for you to face the queen," Kara ammended but Kal decided to fire back with something.

"Remind me again what your mouth was doing to Diana last night?" Kal asked her with a raised eyebrow and the blonde turned her head around with a slight grin flickering around her face.

"Oh there's no need to remind her, I'm sure she already remembers," Kara responded as she leaned forward, getting dressed at super speed. "I'm sure she remembers everything that happens, don't you, Princess?"

"I recall it with great clarity," Diana responded as she eyed Kal deviously.

"And I'm sure you remember it, my dear cousin," Kara added as she watched Diana with a slight hint of amusement. "And encase you couldn't remember it, here's a reminder, you couldn't go without, could you?"

Kara wrapped her arms tightly around Diana and kissed her full on the lips for Kal's benefit.

"Wonderful, you're going to make me visit Hippolyta with an erection," Kal said dryly and Kara and Diana watched him with hungry eyes, never breaking the lip-lock they were in. That did not make his situation any easier in fact it made it far harder.

Pardon the obvious pun.

Kal prepared to face the music but he knew that if he made her respect him once, he could do it again. The circumstance be damned and they were surely different but Kal was not about to be denied .

* * *

"So, Kal-El, I've heard rumors regarding of what you've been up to with my daughter," Hippolyta remarked in a brisk tone of voice as she folded her arms and kept her burning eyes firmly on the young man who she allowed on her island. Naturally because in some small way he had earned her respect but she was curious to see how much he would fight for the right to be with her daughter.

Kal stood facing the queen his eyes locked onto hers and Diana stood by his side, unmoving. She knew when her mother was like this it was best to take a step back and soak things in. She watched the reaction that Hippolyta had as she focused on Kal.

"So what do you have to say to yourself?" Hippolya asked in a brisk tone as she kept her eyes locked onto Kal.

Kal stared back without any fear, he was not about to back up, even though it was in his best interest, not to mention his best health to do so. He crossed his arms and looked back at the Queen of the Amazons.

"Your daughter has captivated me in many ways," Kal responded to the queen in a swift and bold voice. "And she is a remarkable woman, one that I have gotten to know really well over the past few days."

"Yes, that is one thing that I've been able to determine," Hippolyta said as she surveyed him through narrowed eyes. "You have gotten to know my daughter very well, perhaps far better than you should."

Kal watched Hippolyta with an appraising expression in his eyes; to be honest he did not know what he was up against. The Queen of the Amazons did not seem to be too angry with him, at least traditionally so. Then again, the guards next to her appeared to be willing to rip into him, all she had to snap her fingers and Kal would be done for.

"Perhaps, perhaps not, but I'm willing to fight for Diana every step of the way," Kal offered in an extremely brazen tone as he looked Hippolyta straight in the eye without fear. "And I'm willing to fight you toe to toe if that's what I need to do."

Trepidation filled Diana at that moment; she thought that Kal might be a bit too bold with those words. Fighting a group of Amazon guards and catching them off guard, that was one thing. Their friendly sparring session was another thing but her mother, oh boy that was another thing together. She crossed her arms and watched Kal before she spun around and turned towards Kara.

Kara had an expression that resembled thinly veiled pride on her face as she watched her cousin. Naturally she would encourage him to go for it if he could. That was the type of person the blonde was, she always stood bold and fierce. The battle of wills between Kal and Hippolyta, well that intensified and neither were willing to concede.

"You are willing to fight me for my daughter's hand?" Hippolya asked as she corked her eyebrow at the bold statement this young man made. Several of the honor guard saw exactly what they did. They described it quite vividly to Hippolyta and the Queen of the Amazons found herself visited by a maelstrom of emotions. She got to her feet and walked down the steps.

Kal wondered if he took things a step or two too far but he regarded the queen with calmness, trying not to let any anxiety get the better of him. He decided to stand boldly and look her in the eye, without backing down. Show no fear and people would respect a person for that or so Kal thought.

"Yes, I'd be willing to fight you for Diana's hand," Kal responded with a brisk tone of voice, he did not back down.

Hippolyta raised an eyebrow as she surveyed him before as she closed the distance between them. Diana felt her dread continue to escalate.

"Kal, don't worry you can take her," Kara breathed but she was not too certain about that. She just wanted to see what would happen if Kal tried. It was the science geek in her and she was a sucker for an experiment. The RedK kicking in around an Amazon Queen with adrenaline flowing might prove to be interesting.

Kal smiled; that was something that he needed to hear, although he wondered if he might be making a huge mistake. Hippolyta eyed him with a wide smile across her face as she watched him.

Are you going to back your words up with actions, Kal-El?"

"Yeah, I am," Kal told in a bold tone of voice and Diana placed her head in her hands, wondering if her lover was about to bite off more than he could chew.

Hippolyta dropped down into a battle stance facing Kal, as her fellow Amazons backed off.

"My daughter is well trained, I've taught her everything that she knows," Hippolyta remarked in a crisp voice before she took a step forward. "But not everything that I know."

The woman was all for testing her abilities against someone who had gone against her daughter in battle and she could not wait to test herself against him. Things were about to get intense between the two of them. Hippolyta and Kal circled each other, eying the other as they waited for an opening to make the first move, before Kal went for a punch but Hippolyta avoided the attack. Another attack was dodged and she grabbed him from behind and threw him.

Hippolyta was rather quick and she nailed Kal with a series of palm strikes, knocking him around. Kal closed his eyes, feeling rather beaten and battered before he tried to stagger to his feet and fight back.

"I assumed that you were willing to fight," Hippolyta commented as Kal tried to take her feet out from underneath her but she evaded it with skill and grace.

She assumed that he was willing to fight for her daughter's honor but Hippolyta grabbed Kal around the head before forcing him down. A running knee smashed him in the head and Hippolyta stood over him, placing the tip of a spear that she grabbed from one of her guards against his chest.

"How do you like that?" Hippolyta asked but Kal grabbed her feet and pushed her back down.

Hippolyta staggered and Kal moved towards her, going for a punch but she blocked it. Another punch, she blocked it and a third punch was blocked as well. She grabbed him around the head and pushed him down hard onto the ground. Kal was able to counter this, and push her back.

He used his strength to slam her down onto the ground.

"You better not be holding back, Kal," Hippolyta warned him, looking at him through hungry eyes and she kicked him back, before she picked up the discarded spear and thrust it towards him.

Kal avoided the spear attack and pulled it from her hands, before he grabbed Hippolyta around the waist then slammed her to the ground with immense strength.

Hippolyta saw that he had her pinned and she shivered underneath his extreme grip. He held her down and she tried to get out of his hold. She struggled and writhed underneath his grip as she saw a glowing red light in his eye and then a light headed feeling flush through her.

"Kal, Kal," Hippolyta breathed as she wondered what was happening to her and she summoned the adrenaline burst she needed.

She reversed the position and grabbed Kal around the waist. She speared him into the ground with an immense impact before she straddled him.

Kal tried to push out but Hippolyta pinned him down to the ground. She leaned down onto him, with a lustful smile on her face and pressed her lips onto his with a long and searing kiss. She violated his mouth with her tongue as the other Amazons watched in shock.

"Mother!" Diana yelled in an exasperated tone of voice but she felt a warmth rise from between her thighs. Kara watched her and she felt the RedK effect kick in as well and the other Amazons watched them, feeling stirrings that they never thought they would have towards a man.

"Time for me to claim my prize, Kal," Hippolyta breathed as she fished her hand down his pants and clutched him, tightening around his throbbing manhood. "Nice, very nice."

**Lemon Scene Begins. **

-PROFILE-

**Lemon Scene Ends. **

After the fun was over, Diana and Hippolyta rested over Kal, with Kara having her head on his lap. The other Amazons were down and out for the count, having been worked to exhaustion.

"You have my approval," Hippolyta stated after a moment as she ran her hands down his muscles and smiling. "Providing you visit often should you leave the island."

"I think that could be arranged," Kal stated as he turned around and saw the dozens of dozens of women who had passed out from the pleasure.

A smug smile crossed his face at the accomplishment.

"Providing they let you leave," Diana responded as she rested her head on his shoulder and Kal tightened his arm around her.

"And this is a bad thing, how?" Kal asked and Kara smiled, as she rested herself. She would have her turn with Kal between her legs but now it was time to give him a moment to recharge. They could have a lot of fun later.

* * *

Dreams were something that was amazing in many ways and they tended to be the windows for the soul, perhaps an aspect of life that would explain the unexplainable. It was something that many have debated time and time again, about the nature of dreams and trying to figure out what they were like. They offered so many hints of what was to come or maybe something in another life.

Chloe thought about the dreams that she had over the past few days, almost going on a week now. She wondered about them, in fact her head was ringing with the sensations of them. Every single night she woke up after seeing symbols that she never saw in her life, ever. It was unlike anything that she ever saw before.

Given that the Internet was a vast and amazing resource, she tried to look up the symbols but she found nothing. The blonde cupped her hand on her chin and walked up to the caves.

She stood rigid.

'_Don't worry, Sullivan, nothing to worry about it,' _Chloe thought to herself as she ran her hands and threw her head back.

"Make sure you keep an eye for anyone returning to this cave, I want to know who is going in and out."

The voice of Lionel Luthor broke Chloe out of her thoughts and she crept around, eyes darting around frantically to make sure that no one saw her. She stopped as she realized this sudden movement might cause her nervousness.

'_This might make things difficult,' _Chloe thought to herself before she placed her hand on her chin and threw her head back with a sigh. _'Actually, that might make things very difficult come to think about it.'_

Chloe spun her head around before the young woman put her hands on her hips and the pair of goons moved around. She tapped her foot on the ground nervously. Things were not going to improve in the slightest, that much Chloe knew and it would be harder to get into the cave.

"Legally, there's nothing that you can do to stop him."

Chloe did not even bother to look over her shoulder to see who was standing behind her but she thought for a brief moment that it was Kara having returned. Her voice sounded pretty similar at the very least.

She spun around and saw the woman standing there, dressed in a blue blouse that did very little to hide the fact that she was very well endowed on top. She wore a pair of glasses and appeared to have red hair. The skirt she wore extended down towards a pair of muscular but still extremely shapely legs.

Little did Chloe know that said red hair was a wig that covered the short blonde hair that she had underneath and her green eyes were contacts to hide her baby blue eyes that were exactly the same as Kara's.

"I'm sorry…thought you were someone else for a moment," Chloe remarked in an apologetic tone as she eyed the young woman.

"O-kay," the woman stated before she extended a hand.

"Lots of people interested in the caves, I don't know why," Chloe offered, hoping to play innocent, in case this woman wasn't in on the secret.

"I think you know why, Miss Sullivan," the woman commented as she barely suppressed a grin. "I was talking to Patricia Swann, she was here the other day with you."

"So…you're Doctor Swann's assistant?" Chloe asked as she watched the woman before her.

"Assistant is a rather menial term to describe my job," the woman informed her with a chuckle, she did practically run STARR labs to be honest, along with several other things. She was rather busy as well. The blonde disguised as a redhead turned to Chloe to give a more formal introduction. "Karen Starr at your service."

Well Karen Starr was just an alias, she was Kara Zor-El from an alternate dimension, although older than the Kara from this universe. It was a long story that she was not about to get into.

. "There's another one here, just like Kal-El, isn't there?" Karen asked, confirming the theory that she had that her younger counterpart popped up out of the woodwork.

Chloe placed her hands on her hips, nervously chewing on her bottom lip. To be honest she did not want to think about too much of what was happening, although she spun her head around for a moment and eyed Karen with a swift nod.

"Yes, she is but you know that anyway, don't you?" Chloe asked Karen in a quiet tone of voice.

Karen did not say much of anything for a second; it was going to be a problem to get past the Luthorcorp goons that were moving around the cave. Even with super powers, it was a challenge, granted it was a challenge that she was up for but still.

"I know enough to know enough."

Chloe frowned as she watched Karen. "Okay, that was very vague."

"It was vague on purpose," Karen fired back with a long and poignant shrug as she threw her head back with a sigh. "I don't want anyone to overhear what I know, I think certain parties know too much already."

Karen grabbed Chloe and led her away. It would be easy to sprint her to a safe location with super powers but that was one particular secret that Karen was unwilling to let out of the bag just yet. She led Chloe off to the side, patiently and calmly. The blonde stood by Karen's side and remained rigid.

"It's no longer safe to be here," Karen responded as she opened the door to her car.

While she didn't need one due to her flights, it was most important to keep up appearances. Since Karen was paid so well, she could get one of the newer models.

"Nice wheels," Chloe responded in an appraising voice.

"Thanks," Karen stated as she waited for Chloe to buckle up before she did the same. She put the car in reverse before backing up and driving off.

It took her two years of her life and three crashed cars to learn how to drive but Karen was pretty sure she finally got the hang of it. Flying was her preferred way to travel for obvious reasons but she did not necessarily mind driving. She just didn't want to make a habit of doing it far too often either.

"So, you know….Clark, I guess," Chloe responded as Karen drove them away.

Karen shook her head, technically speaking she never met the Kal-El Chloe spoke of, but she had been here for almost eighteen months in this dimension. She had to escape that world, Luthor corrupted her cousin to the point where he was almost unrecognizable.

"I know of him," Karen remarked in an evasive tone of voice. "I know that he is capable for some great things but he has a long time to go before achieving them."

Chloe raised an eyebrow; she had a feeling that Karen was keeping pieces of the truth. She closed her eyes trying to pinpoint exactly what pieces they were. Karen showing up out of the woodwork and pulling her away before she potentially got found out by Lionel, it seemed rather too easy. Then again, if Lionel started asking questions, her life would be far more inconvenient. Call her crazy but Chloe decided to trust her gut and trust Karen.

Yet there was something that there was a problem although she could not pinpoint what. Not to mention the dreams and Chloe began to think that she was losing her mind. Plus the fact that Clark and Kara had not returned, it was almost like they disappeared off of the face of the planet.

"Do you know where Kal-El left to?" Karen asked.

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "I thought you might."

"Chloe, now isn't a time to play games," Karen responded with a smile on her face, trying to coax Chloe to say anything.

Chloe looked defensive and threw her hands up into the air.

"What makes you think I'm playing games?"

Karen offered her a slight smile. "It sounds like you're covering for something, don't worry you can trust me."

"Can I?" Chloe asked as she watched Karen. "I don't know….you just turned up. How do I know you aren't trying to find out what I know about Clark? How do I know you're not working for the government or something?"

"Paranoid much, are we?" Karen asked as she tried to get Chloe to cough up the information but there was nothing to it.

"Not paranoid, just preserving," Chloe answered before she threw her head back and remained silent.

"One might say that they are one and the same."

Karen decided not to press any further than that.

"You want to go the caves, I think that I can get in you in there after nightfall," Karen stated as she watched Chloe. There was a moment where Chloe sat in wait. "The choice is yours, but do you trust me? That's the thing I want to ask you. Do you trust me?"

That was the question that was asked of her and that was something that Chloe was not wanting to answer. The blonde placed her hands on her face and threw her head back.

"What do I have to lose?' Chloe asked before she hoped that her trust was not being misplaced.

"A lot, but try not to worry about it," Karen answered before she smiled towards the smaller blonde, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Chloe would feel a lot better if she knew that she could trust this woman one hundred percent of the way. There was something about her that seemed rather superficial and rang rather false although she could not figure out what that was. There was something about her that Chloe could not pinpoint what she felt was wrong.

It just was wrong and that was something that annoyed the blonde to no end.

* * *

Karen as it turned out was true to her word. Chloe was back in the cave and she placed her hands on her hips as she walked forward. Nervous as she did so but at the same time she was determined.

"LARA!"

"Hello Chloe, what can I do for you?" Lara asked for her in a calm voice.

"I've….I've told you about the dreams but they are getting more intense," Chloe responded as she unfolded the piece of paper that she scrawled down the symbols before she forgot them. She turned it around. "You can….you can see it, can you?"

"Yes, I have optical capabilities," Lara confirmed to Chloe and Chloe placed her hands on her hips, that was good, actually that was more than good, that was amazing.

"Okay, I'm seeing these symbols in my dreams and I'm starting to be freaked out a tiny bit," Chloe offered as her eyes widened nervously.

"Take a calming breathe, Chloe, don't be worried, I'm sure that there is some kind of logical explanation," Lara offered and Chloe held up the symbol. The AI scanned them for a translation. "They translate into the Kryptonian word for eternity."

Lara decided to elaborate a bit more because she did sense Chloe's confusion, there was much about this that she did not really understand all that much herself.

"The symbols you are seeing is an old form of Kryptonian that has been lost for centuries," Lara explained to Chloe and Chloe turned towards her. "It is quite curious that these symbols pop up in your dreams, after all that has happened."

"Yeah, one could say that," Chloe added as she tried to focus on it but a part of her was kind of disturbed with everything that's happened. "How is it happening though? How am I seeing symbols when I'm asleep that I've never seen in my life when I'm awake?"

Lara remained rather silent as there was a moment where she contemplated things in her mind. Chloe felt rather nervous, this silence was something that drove her absolutely nuts. Her foot tapped on the ground, once, twice, and three times. She threw her head back and the hands on her head. Chloe turned her head before there was a long pause.

She whistled the tension could be cut with a knife.

"Did you come into contact with anything that might have caused this?" Lara asked as Chloe placed her hands on her head and threw her head back deep in thought.

"Not as such, no," Chloe offered as she thought that there was something that she should remember but she was not coming to it. It was driving her absolutely nuts, to the point of insanity. The woman crossed her arms and waited. "I wish I could be more helpful but it's really causing me to lose my mind."

"Don't worry Chloe, it happens to the best of us," Lara stated before the AI offered a sigh. "Kara and Kal have been gone for ten days. I'm starting to fear that something happened but I'm unable to reach them."

Chloe raised an eyebrow before the blonde wondered what she had in mind.

"I need your help."

That was the last thing that Chloe expected to hear and a smile crossed her face before she folded her arms together.

"What do you need me to do?"

Lara was all too quick to elaborate.

"I need….I need you to find him," Lara responded, she hated to have to rely on Chloe for something like this and put the girl in danger.

Chloe decided to point out what she perceived to be a fundamental logic flaw in Lara's words.

"Um, how am I supposed to do this?" Chloe asked as she watched Lara or where she thought was Lara. "I mean, I'm happy to save Clark, I'll do it, no problem, and all that but there's something that's holding me back."

She popped her mouth.

"No powers," Chloe stated as she stood away. "So that kind of puts me at a disadvantage."

The slot in the cave opened and a blue crystal slid out.

"This must be done with care, Chloe, by accepting these powers you need to realize that there is no turning back," Lara warned her as she paused for a second before she asked the question that would live in infamy. "So I need to ask you one thing, and you need to be completely honest with me."

Chloe stood firm, she knew that she had to be completely honest.

"Do you love Kal?"

Chloe blinked, that was a bit blunt but she had to respond.

"With all my heart, I always have," Chloe responded as she threw her head back with a sigh. "Although he's kind of with Kara…."

"Humans," Lara commented in an exasperated tone of voice. "Kryptonian society mandates that powerful young men should be with multiple women. Their DNA, their lines, should be spread long and wide, and with Kal being the last male of his kind, this is even truer."

"Okay, okay, you've got that but….Clark seems like the choir boy type, it's a wonder that he's boffing his cousin," Chloe stated but then she realized something. "This summer brought out an entirely new side of Clark."

"A brand new side, he took the first step in embracing his heritage, he took his first step to being everything that he could be," Lara stated in a swift tone of voice. "He took the first step to becoming what he could be."

The blue crystal flickered out from her.

"To give humans Kryptonian powers, it would be lethal to them," Lara explained to Chloe. "Even someone as young and healthy as you, your organs will take a beating and they will be much weaker. Your bones, your tendons, everything will become strained. You will be miserable within a few years, providing you live that long."

"Yikes," Chloe responded as she paused before opening her mouth to state something.

Lara beat her to the punch as only she could.

"Fortunately, there are other options," Lara remarked in a crisp tone of voice. "I can make you purely Kryptonian and give you the gifts that come along with that."

"You can do that?" Chloe asked in an excited voice.

"It's not something that I do lightly, but you have proven yourself to be worthy of my son, I can see it in your eyes and I can sense it in your heart," Lara added as the crystal glowed. "The choice is yours but do know that there is no turning back."

"No turning back," Chloe whispered to herself, her eyes widened.

The crystal beckoned her.

She touched her hands to the crystal.

Chloe felt the entire world around her change. Her life would never be the same ever again but it was a sacrifice that she was willing to make.

Lara sensed the change going around her and she understood everything clearly now, including Chloe's true nature.

Her son would be protected in ways that he would not know.

Chloe felt herself change and felt herself empowered.

She shot out of the cave at super speed. It was so fast, one minute she stood in the cave with Lara and the next minute she was at the edge of the field just outside of Smallville. The blonde looked up with wide eyed excitement and there was only one thought that echoed through her mind constantly.

'_This is awesomesauce!'_

Chloe placed a hand to her head and it was almost like she could sense Clark. It was hard to explain but she had some kind of connection, a link that guided her. It was something that was far deeper than friendship.

The blonde kicked up and flew, she was actually flying, and she could not believe it. All she had to do was let her instincts lead her on. The blonde closed her eyes before she snapped them back open.

She flew through a barrier towards the island and dropped down to the ground. The blonde spun around and looked at the scene around her. It was an island with picturesque beauty and she stepped forward.

Chloe stopped and saw a statue that was carved out of granite on the island. The blonde's eyes widened as she saw it and the fact that there were several women worshipping at the altar on the island.

'_What?' _Chloe thought as she blinked for a second and she saw the statue, before she turned her head around. She cupped her hand to her chin and swayed from one side to the other and watched it.

She saw it.

It was a statue of Clark that these women were worshipping it.

Now Chloe's expression went from confusion to "what the hell was going on." The blonde had to find him, because she sensed that he was on the island.

* * *

Little did Chloe know that she was not the only person who was observing the situation on the island. There was a pair of malicious eyes that were watching, plotting revenge on the Amazons and the young man that they anointed as their god.

**To Be Continued. **


	12. Chapter Eleven: Eye of Chaos

**Chapter Eleven: Eye of Chaos. **

Revenge motivated the best of people and it also motivated the very worst of people. It was a motivator that drove some people to the brink of insanity, at least that's what went through the mind of the sorceress known as Circe. She had her share of run-ins with the Amazons over the past few centuries. A prodigal user of magic and essentially a goddess, Circe understood that respect was gained through power and control. If someone did not have the proper power and control, then they were doomed to destruction and a hearty demise.

It was unfortunate that she did not have the proper control over all, no matter how much she wished to have it. This island of woman had grown soft, having renounced many of their warrior ways, had they not, they could have overrun the world of men just like that. Circe snapped her fingers carefully to emphasis that point to herself.

Then there was another huge problem that manifested itself.

'_I can't believe they let some man onto the island, there's nothing extraordinary about him,' _Circe thought, practically mockingly, practically scathingly, her eyes danced with pure fury and venom as she kept them firmly on the enemy at hand. _'Visually appealing yes, I'll give him that but he's another who squanders the power of a god. He could rule them with an iron fist but he chooses not to.'_

Circe saw that potential in him and thought that while his mind was weak, his body could be strong. If he had the proper guidance that was, and she knew how to manipulate men like that. Her purple hair flowed down to show a pair of violet eyes. There were juicy lips that puckered with desire and said eyes continued to flash maliciously. The green material wrapped around her curves quite enticingly. She was not going to go down without any kind of fight, that was for sure. The sorceress understood the danger of the enemies that she picked fights against.

The reason for her grudge against the Amazons was something that faded from her mind long ago, although the anger, oh the anger it remained. It was not going to go away any time soon and Circe allowed it to fester like a boil. Especially her hatred towards the queen of the Amazons, Hippoloyta, it had been a grudge that had not been settled for years. The sorceress watched the events on the island transpire and now her daughter, she was going to be just as annoying, acting like the perfect pretty princess.

'_And naturally the perfect pretty princess must have the perfect man,' _Circe thought in a scathing voice before she snickered_. 'Let's see how perfect Diana is when I turn her into the pig she likely is on the inside. Like mother, like daughter after all.'_

Circe blinked for a moment as she went through the magical trinkets she acquired over the years. There were so many of them and all of them could potentially get some kind of job done. They were all a means to a greater ends for her. The Amazons drove her back and she had been banned from the island. Again, the reasons escaped her, all she recalled was the utter hatred that she had for Hippolyta and that royal brat she called a daughter.

The sorceress foamed at the mouth as she pushed her head back and hummed lightly, trying to figure out the finer details of a master plan. It was not going to be easy, given that the Amazons were rather crafty, she would have to admit that.

'_There has to be a way to put those bitches down,' _Circe thought to herself as she threw her head back and began to ponder. She drummed her hands on the table and rocked back and forth a little bit more.

There had to be a way to put them down but she failed no matter what in the past and she was looking to succeed in the future. They had to have a weakness and that would be a weakness that she could exploit. Then her plan would become fulfilled, that much was for sure. The purple haired sorceress threw her head back to give an evil laugh.

'_Okay, here's the plan,' _Circe thought to herself as she drummed her fingers across the pedestal in front of her. _'Find a weakness and they will be mine.'_

She stopped and her head spun around before she saw that statue of that unremarkable man who was on the island. Circe was angered that she had to watch him defile proud women like that and was also angered that she wished that it was her under underneath his tender grip. There was some strong energies that she could not place seeping from his being and the sorceress did not like it at all.

Her eyes snapped open suddenly and her mouth did as well. It was that moment of realization that dawned on many people at the worst possible time. Her heart thumped faster slightly as a smirk suddenly snapped over her features as she realized it. She stood on the precipice of power and realized that she had found their weakness.

Circe practically licked her juicy lips, she could taste something coming and her green eyes snapped forward. All she would need is timing and patience and she had both of those in abundance.

The sorceress prepared the necessary, soon she would ensnare an ally that was more powerful than any other force on Earth. Or at least he would be combined with her magic, giving him the necessary boosts. He did have potential and tapped into a fair amount of it but Circe saw a blank slate that she could adjust.

"Soon, Kal, you will be mine," she breathed in an excited tone of voice.

Circe was like a child, she saw that the girls she didn't like had a new toy. And now she must have it. Deep down, she was only mildly interested in acquiring it but now that the Amazons had it, she would do anything to have it to hold for herself and only for herself.

"Soon, Kal, you will belong to me, it's written that you will be underneath my thumb," Circe responded as she tapped her fingers on the edge of the table.

She had to get to work rather quickly.

* * *

Lionel Luthor tapped his fingers, drumming them carefully on the edge of a table as he waited with an appraising eye. His meeting was about to happen in a matter of moments and being a businessman of his stature, he was unable to be late. He scoffed at the news that he heard earlier that morning, his face twisting into a sad frown.

His son fell off of the face of the Earth presumed dead, that much was for certain but the tabloids reported sightings of Lex. If Lionel did not know any better, the seemed to be a desperate cry for attention from a rag sheet that was barley worth papering a parakeet's cage with. He stepped forward and looked over the rumors that Lex was found in Gotham City, begging for change before he was mugged.

Not that he thought he should waste his time with it but Lionel checked into that little event and found it to be a dead end. There was no Lex and since there was no Lex, he truthfully did waste his time. He twisted his head around and looked from one side to the next. Lionel drummed his foot off of the ground and prepared for the next move that he was going to make.

A buzzer brought him out of his thoughts and he turned around, he never enjoyed being interrupted as he was working.

"Yes, what is it, I'm extremely busy here," Lionel responded in his usual crisp and dismissive tone of voice.

"Mr. Luthor sir….a Ms. Karen Starr is here to see you, she's bringing you a message from Doctor Swann."

Lionel's interest went from not interested at all to extremely interested. Karen Starr, the new assistant of Virgil Swann showing up here was a cause for interest and Lionel bent towards the intercom before he gave the word.

"Yes send her on in."

Lionel tapped his fingers calmly and he waited for her to come to the door. There was a knock on his door strong and firm and Lionel leaned forward to wait for the woman on the other side of the door. He enjoyed making people wait, it allowed him to control the perception of what was going on around him and he leaned forward. Lionel turned his head and took in a deep breath before he decided to speak in a commanding voice that showed who was in control.

"Yes, you may come in."

It was all about control and all around ruling the people that were around him. Lionel managed to do that better than anyone else.

"Ms. Starr, what a wonderful surprise," Lionel responded in a tone of faux politeness.

Karen smiled a pained smile, given that she knew what Lionel Luthor was, she was half inclined to throw him out of the window and to his doom on principle. However, Karen needed to play nice at least for a little while and she spun towards him, her eye twitching a little bit but she managed to turn towards him with a bright smile.

"Mr. Luthor," Karen responded as she reached forward, again tempting as it was to crush every single bone in his hand, she knew better.

She'd like to but she knew better and Karen gritted her teeth with a forced smile.

"It's been a while since I've seen Doctor Swann, I hope he is well," Lionel responded in a voice that indicated some kind of false sentiment.

Karen did not buy Lionel's act for even a moment. She was very much used to picking out deception with him.

"He's well enough, Mr. Luthor," Karen responded in a diplomatic and quite flat tone of voice. "I've heard that your son has disappeared and is presumed dead."

"Yes, yes, quite unfortunate but at the same time, it was quite expected," Lionel responded in a tone of voice that did not drip with much remorse at all.

Karen smiled before she held the envelope that Swann handed her to give to Lionel.

"I trust that you didn't open that," Lionel responded to Karen.

Karen had to hide the smirk that she had, it was great to know something that the great Lionel Luthor did not know. She crossed her arms under her chest before she swayed a little bit. There was no need to open the envelope for one tiny peak with her X-Ray vision told her pretty much everything that she needed to know.

Veritas was an interesting term, it caused her a fair amount of headaches in the old world but that was that world and this was this world. It was a circle and a cycle that was never meant to end and the blonde bit down on her lip before she swayed her head from one side to the next. It was a blast from the past that she was not sure if she wanted to know much more about than she already did.

To be honest, if Karen never heard that forsaken word ever again, it would be too soon. The problems that it caused for her on that world and the greed of the members, especially Lionel, it was worse. Then again, her native Earth's version of Lionel Luthor was one of the worst in the multiverse.

The blonde's heart thumped when she realized that the stone was there in his office. She could sense it, being Kryptonian. There was some kind of sixth sense that caused the blonde to turn her head around and she watched, with widened eyes.

"May I tempt you with a drink, Ms. Starr?" Lionel asked her with a smile.

Karen tried to keep her mind clear and tried to scan for Lionel's security. It took her a few seconds to answer that question.

"No thank you, I'll be fine," Karen responded as she tried to edge out of it without seeming like she was too rude or nervous. "May I…."

"Oh of course, I know that someone like you has a lot of work to do," Lionel responded in a crisp tone of voice, waving her off.

Karen turned around, she got a few more looks at the security system, before she smiled and realized that everything went according to plan, at least for the most part. There was the fact that Lionel Luthor had one of the stones but that could be lifted from him.

She did not want to risk a repeat of the fiasco with the blood sample, her younger self and Kal made a rookie mistake on how they handled it. Karen was far more subtle and far more cerebral and she planned to beat Lionel Luthor at his own game.

* * *

Awestruck only began to scratch the surface of what Chloe felt as she appeared on the island. The blonde shifted her hands on her hips and looked up, practically standing on her toes as she shifted her eyes to look around the island. Her eyes snapped towards the statue and there was only one word that moved through her mind the longer that she stood there.

'_Wow.'_

That was a word that said a lot yet said practically nothing as well but it bared repeating over and over again.

'_Wow.'_

Chloe wanted to think it one more time as she looked at the amazing architecture all around the island. The thought came to her mind once more.

'_Wow.'_

There was really nothing more to say than that, other than that one word.

'_Wow.'_

Okay, Chloe should stop thinking that, even though it was appropriate. It was amazing that someone built a statue of her friend, much less worshiped it. The blonde's eyes focused on the statue and her head spun around, as she tried to take it all in.

"Chloe?"

This caused her ears to perk up but the sound of someone's own name often got them to stand up and take notice. She turned around and saw him standing there before her, with a smile on his face.

"Clark?"

Chloe rushed over and threw her arms around Clark, wrapping them tightly around him. She realized how strong his arms felt around her and tried to hold back the slight blush that she felt. It was hard to do it and not to mention the fact that she was feeling certain urges that were hard to suppress.

"Clark, I thought….well it doesn't matter what I thought really," Chloe responded in a careful tone of voice as she pushed back.

"Does it?" Clark asked in a teasing tone of voice but he marveled how nice it felt to have Chloe in his arms. While he liked Kara and Diana a lot, loved them, he could not help but think that he had something remarkable here the entire time, if he had not had his Lana-Blinders on. Granted, Lana was remarkable in her own way but still Clark thought that it was necessary to expand his horizons every once and a while.

"This is incredible, I mean you're here on this island paradise, I didn't think…."

"Whoa you didn't think Chloe? That might be a problem," Clark responded with a smile as he tightened an arm around her.

"That's not funny, I thought you crash landed somewhere and was being tied up and tortured."

Clark offered her a smile, the tied up part was right, the tortured part not so much.

"Well sorry, Chloe, I wasn't in misery and pain," Clark responded as he stepped forward and saw the woman eying him appraisingly. "There was some of me being tied up involved and I guess from a certain angle you could see torture being involved."

Chloe raised an eyebrow, she had no idea what to do or what to say to that. There was also the fact that Clark seemed so different and she did not know how or why. It was not something that she could not quite put her finger on but he seemed like a completely different person. Whether or not that change was for the better, well Chloe would find out some time soon.

The blonde shifted her feet on the ground.

Clark decided to ask a question that she hoped that he would not be perceptive enough to bring up.

"So how did you get here anywhere?"

"Would you believe it's a long story?" Chloe asked Clark with a wide smirk on her face and Clark eyed her carefully. "Yeah, I know, I know but work with me here."

Clark invited her to continue, giving her every second to do so.

"Okay, here's the thing, your mother, well she was worried about you," Chloe stated as she choose her next few words, in a diplomatic and careful way as she tapped her fingers on the side of the stone statue that she stood by.

It was an amazing likeness of Clark although she wondered if it was right in the anatomy way. She suspected that one day she might check although it was so tempting to use her X-Ray vision now to check him out and see what he had to offer. She managed to keep herself in check.

"So anyway, I was worried….she was worried," Chloe responded as she caught her Freudian slip and so did Clark. "You weren't back for ten days, and we were both sure that something might have happened. But I'm guessing you took a rest stop."

"In a manner of speaking," Clark responded as he stared down Chloe before he smiled. "Although I don't seem to be doing that much resting on the island."

Chloe's eyes widened as she realized that Clark was on an island full of women and obviously with the statue they worshipped him to an extent. The young woman put two and two together rather easily and a smile crossed her face.

"Say no more, say no more," Chloe answered as she stepped back for a second and hovered off the ground.

Clark noticed this and his eyes widened when he saw it. "Chloe….you're floating!"

Chloe smiled and dropped to the ground. "I know that, that's what I'm trying to tell you about. Lara had to give me Kryptonian abilities to find you and I accepted….so I guess there's no going back."

"Chloe!" Clark stated in an exasperated voice as he stepped forward. "You do realize that with those powers, you'll become strong underneath the yellow sun."

"Yes, Clark, I got that point, believe me, I did," Chloe responded with a bright smile crossing her face and she placed her arm around Clark. The two of them walked forward.

"I mean it, immortality, as in you'll be your physical prime forever," Clark responded as he looked at her. "Do you really want that, to outlive everyone you know, everyone you care about?"

"Clark, calm down, don't you think I've thought about it," Chloe responded with a smile crossing her face. "Just chill out alright, it's going to be okay. Yes I'm going to live for a long time."

"I just didn't think…"

Chloe held up her hand and was not done.

"Given that all of the times you have to bail my butt out of trouble, I'd assume that you'd be happy with the power thing," Chloe responded as she placed her hands on Clark's waist and leaned up towards him. "Look at it this way, if I don't have to play damsel in distress, just look at all of the free time that you'll have on your hands."

Clark's face twisted into a smirk. That was true in many ways, he guessed but still there was a problem that he had with this. The fact that Chloe pretty much decided to make a decision based off of a mad whim was hard for him to wrap his mind around.

"When Lara offered it to me, she explained the risks, she explained that there was no going back and I don't want to go back," Chloe continued in a firm voice, her gaze locked onto Clark's. She dared him to contradicted her.

She demonstrated her ability to fly.

"Not bad."

Kara stated that in an appraising voice as she walked outside.

"It's nice to see you, Chloe," Kara responded as she flew up to talk to Chloe. "Hey, my flight's back, that means we can….well we can get back and find the stone."

"What do you mean find the stone?" Chloe asked Kara and the blonde responded with a shrug before she stated in a small voice.

"I sort of dropped it," Kara stated sheepishly and Clark watched her, before he added.

"She was trying to save me from some goons shooting us out of the sky," Kal added to fill in the details.

"And I steered Kal onto the island but I kind of, sort of dropped the stone," Kara repeated in a small voice as her confidence was completely shaken but the blonde kept her eyes forward on the situation.

"Hey, Clark's life is more important than the stone."

Kara admitted that was true, her cousin's life was more important than any stone, that was for sure, although the blonde blinked for a brief moment and she turned her head around before she hovered over the ground and dropped down.

"Hello."

Diana walked out to greet Chloe and eye her. Chloe looked up at Diana, she towered over her, although Chloe could have sworn that she shot up a few inches after she got the power transfusion.

"My name is Diana, Princess of the Amazons," Diana stated as she extended her hand for Chloe to shake it.

"My name is Chloe, resident geek of Middle America," Chloe retorted with a smile.

"Is she always like this?" Diana asked to Clark.

"Hey, Chloe's sense of humor grows on you," Clark responded in a defensive tone of voice but he then added. "Then again, so does a fungus."

"HEY!"

Chloe stated this in a mock playful tone of voice and nearly slapped Clark on the wrist for this but she managed to keep herself at bay for the most part.

"Well any friend of Kal's is a friend of mind," Diana stated as she invited Chloe on a tour of the island.

* * *

"So, I figure that we'd say our goodbyes and leave tomorrow," Kal responded as he walked beside Diana but the Amazon turned towards him, a smile crossing her face.

"Well it's not goodbye for us, although I'm sure that you're going to have to fight a lot of Amazons to get off the island," Diana remarked with a warm smile towards Kal before she threw her head back and offered a long sigh. "It's really funny, you fought them to get on the island and now you're going to have to fight them to get off the island."

"It would be the ultimate irony if I had to really had to fight them harder to get off then to stay," Kal stated as he hovered for an instant before he sat back down on the stairs.

Diana laughed in amusement as she parked herself down next to him, before she turned her head around for a second.

"Yes that would be but I can't believe mother is allowing me off the island, I've fought and pleaded with her for years," Diana answered as she placed her arm around Kal's waist.

"Maybe she knows that you'd come back now," Kal responded to Diana but she bantered back.

"Or maybe she wanted to make sure you came back, Kal,' Diana corrected with a brisk tone of voice. "She's setting up something for me to do out there, I'm hoping that it will work out for the best."

"Well what do you have to lose?" Kal asked but Diana stared at him. "I know, that's a question that will invite doom."

"You should know better Kal, you've lived on Earth your whole life," Kara responded as she arched her neck towards her cousin and smiled at him before she clasped her hands onto his. "But the three of us together, that's going to be amazing."

"And it's an extra set of eyes looking for the stone," Diana added, she wondered what this Fortress was going to be like.

Kara found herself wanting to study the vast libraries on the island, she was fascinated about learning about their ways in the art of combat and also the art of mysticism. She found that particular art to be fairly interesting and the more she learned about it, the more intrigued that she became, given her own abilities gained from her mother's side of the family.

"I'll be glad when we find it, who knows where it ended up?" Kal asked as he shrugged and Kara clasped his hands with a smile.

"We'll find it, okay," Kara said boldly as she turned her head around and watched the sunset. It was beautiful from this point of view she had to admit that.

Kal thought that he spent a fair amount of time on the island, although from the vantage point of the outside world, it had only been around ten days, maybe close to two weeks. At least that's what Chloe said and to be honest, Kal was inclined to believe her more often than not. He turned his head and watched as the sun set.

"Beautiful isn't it."

"Even when compared to you," Kal stated as he threw an arm around Diana and another arm around Kara. It was getting late and even the Amazons had to eat every now and again although there were times where Kal got the distinct impression that he was on the dessert menu. Then again, perhaps he was it.

"You're too kind," Diana responded.

"Someone's angling for some loving," Kara remarked with a bright smile on her face before she stood on her tip-toes and looked Kal in the eyes before she smiled. "Not that we mind, do we Diana?"

"Not at all, Kara," Diana responded as she placed her hand on Kal's and the three of them watched another sunset together, hoping that it would be the first of many.

There were times where they thought about what happened and there would be many challenges but as long as they stood together, it would be great. The young man closed his eyes before he considered everything that went on around him.

* * *

"It's amazing, isn't it?' Chloe asked as she watched Clark with a smile on her face.

"When you get used to it, it isn't really anything out of the ordinary," Clark commented to Chloe and Chloe offered him a simply exasperated expression. "Those powers…."

"Clark, it's okay, I chose these, Lara didn't force me, besides, maybe just like you, I have a greater calling in the world," Chloe stated firmly as she felt the warm breeze go through the island. "Maybe I can be part of something, maybe this door opened for me to bring us closer together."

Chloe stepped forward as she looked at Clark and she felt her eyeballs start to heat up. Granted she was having some rather tawdry thoughts about Clark but still she wondered why her eyeballs stung like this.

"Chloe, what is it?" Clark asked as he saw the look of discomfort on Chloe's face.

"I don't know my eyes are burning," Chloe responded as Clark watched her, his face crossing into a nervous expression.

"Close them, Chloe and take a deep breath," Clark told her and Chloe did as she was told, taking one breath in and letting one breath out. "Focus on finding that inner switch, focus on finding a way to shut that power on and off. It's in your mind, you just got to grab onto it."

"Focus," Chloe breathed as she threw her head back.

"Yes, focus," Clark responded to her as Chloe placed her hands on her eyes and she felt the burning subside a little bit. Take a breath and focus, that's what she did.

The burning subsided.

"Dare I ask?" Chloe asked Clark and Clark's face crossed with a smile before he enlightened her on the situation at hand.

"Yes, you dare," Clark retorted but Chloe lightly glared at him.

"Okay, I kind of walked into that one," Chloe responded with a long sigh as she threw her head back after an instant. The blonde turned her head around as she rubbed the edge of her eyes. "So what was up with the itchy, irritated eyes?"

"Your heat vision powers, they're triggered from your subliminal desires," Kal remarked as Chloe watched him with an eyebrow raised.

"No need to sugar coat it, Freud, I was having sexual thoughts and….that really is Freudian," Chloe stated as she threw her head back. "Kryptonian eyejaculation, that's….I don't even want to think about what that implies."

"Is there something that you'd like to share with me, Miss Sullivan?" Kal asked her with a raised eyebrow and Chloe smirked back at him before she waved her hand around.

"Down boy, there's plenty that I'd like to share with you, but only when the time's right," Chloe responded but then she realized what she just said.

Kal's expression got predatory and Chloe felt like she was a rat in the maze with a bunch of hungry tigers.

"Again, tell me more," Kal responded as he watched Chloe as he saw the rise and the fall of her breasts.

Kal wrapped his arms around her tightly and backed her against the stone pillar. Chloe felt trapped or maybe she was right where she wanted to be. It was hard to tell really. She closed her eyes tightly and threw her head back with a long sigh and bit down on her lip.

"Well I….I've wanted you for a very long time now," Chloe responded as she threw her hands back and Kal grabbed them before pinning them back. "I didn't….I didn't think that you'd notice me."

"Oh I've noticed you," Kal remarked as he put his hands on her hips.

"It's almost like your mother is trying to build you a harem of some kind," Chloe responded and Kal placed his hands firmly around her waist and pulled Chloe in tightly to him.

Her body wilted next to him and the blonde threw her head back with a sigh. She wanted a piece of him and she was about to let him take her right here. Given that he kept up with both Kara and Diana, two extremely strong and powerful women, Chloe could hardly wait for the experiences that he could give her.

"Kal, I'm like you now," Chloe breathed, surprising him by using his given Kryptonian name but it showed her metamorphosis into something different. Her hands skimmed the waistband of his jeans. "Please, let's…."

What Chloe wanted was never spelled out as there was a loud explosion as the moment was lost, at least for now.

'_This better be good,' _Kal thought in supreme agitation as he spun around.

Chloe was angry as well, her and Kal were having a moment that was likely to get NC-17 rather quickly and she was pulled away from him.

There was a panicked yell in the distance.

"Circe's here!

**To Be Continued in the Next Chapter. **


	13. Chapter 12: Eye of Chaos Part Two

**Chapter Twelve "Eye of Chaos Part Two."**

Clark asked the one question that burned on the tip of his tongue as Diana approached him, looking rather frantic.

"Who is Circe?" Clark asked and Chloe felt the need to facepalm.

"You mean you haven't heard of…you know Circe, the Sorceress that turned all of the men into pigs in the Odyssey," Chloe responded, her eyes widening as she realized something which caused her to let let out her breath in a long gasp. "Who apparently is actually real.

She look frantically around from Clark to Kara to Diana and her heart was aflutter.

"Which means it's real."

"Heard you the first time," Kara said as she shrugged her shoulders as lifting one hand. There was times where she had to step back and check out her surroundings.

"She has to be here for a reason," Clark remarked as Chloe turned towards him. "Yeah, I know most people do something for a reason."

Diana was the one who spoke up. "Circe is the ultimate spoiled brat, the person who screams and raves when you take away her toys. Or if someone has a toy that she doesn't even want, she still wants it because someone else possesses it."

Clark took that statement to mean one thing and his heart began to beat rather strongly in his chest, offering a drumming sensation. There were flares of light as he looked up and he heard the screams of the Amazons. He inclined his ear forward and listened, carefully. The three women around him remained silent.

'_Focus.'_

Kal-El willed himself to focus, tapping one hundred percent into his Kryptonian heritage. If he thought like a human, like Clark Kent, he would get roasted like a marshmallow or likely a hog on a spit by this woman. He had to keep his mind clear and press on forward.

"Where are you, Kal-El? It is rude to keep a guest waiting."

"She's asking for you," Chloe murmured as she felt the urge to wrap her hands around something, most likely Circe's neck.

"Of course she's asking for you," Kara added in as she decided to move forward and rush towards Circe.

There was a loud pop and Kara dropped to the ground. Much to her horror, she had been turned into a cute little bunny rabbit. Her eyes blinked as the abject awfulness of the situation set in.

'_Oh you've got to be kidding me,' _Kara thought to herself, unable to believe this horrific misfortune that had befallen her. She would have rather been stripped naked, hog-tied, and thrown into a crowded city then be turned into a freaking bunny rabbit.

To her, cute little bunny rabbits were the ultimate evil and no one could tell her any differently.

"No one get hit by her!" Diana yelled as she held her lasso and tried to bind Circe.

"Why don't you say hello to your mother, Princess?" Circe taunted as the dog on a chain was held out in front of Diana. An amulet dangled from her neck, glowing and taunting. There was a look of recognition that crossed the dog's face as it looked at Diana.

"Mother?" Diana asked in an alarmed tone of voice, unable to believe what Circe did.

"I've put your mother in a more fitting form," Circe stated and Diana tried to attack her.

The woman dodged behind Circe and tried to grab her but the woman was only beginning to warm up.

"You don't know how to fight fair, do you Princess?"

The sorceress taunted and broke Diana's grip but as this was done, Kal rushed Circe, grabbed her around the waist, and sped her halfway across the island at super speed. The purple haired sorceress could not see what happened to her and neither could Diana or Chloe. Chloe picked up Kara in her arms, the Kryptonian bunny looking rather psychotic and it was a good thing she was unable to use her heat vision in this form.

"Could anyone please tell me what happened?" Chloe asked and Diana blinked, she had no idea what happened.

Circe was caught completely off guard, something that was rare for her. She did not enjoy being showed up and being trafficked away from giving that snotty little bint the beating that her mother should have a long time ago. The sorceress was dropped down on the ground.

"YOU DARE!"

She shouted at the top of her lungs and Circe tried to hit him with a spell that would turn him into a cockroach so she could crush him underneath her foot. She continued to fire spell after spell at Kal who dodged the attacks.

"Yes, I do dare, I dare a lot," Kal commented as his gaze burned firmly towards his adversary.

"Impudent brat, you don't know who you're dealing with," Circe raged as Kal dodged another spell and it turned a bush into a flock of pigeons that fluttered away.

"Brat, really?"

Kal used his heat vision to catch her off balance. He was not going to set her on fire but he was going to stall her long enough to maneuver her into a defeat.

"Why don't you call me a whelp next while you're at it?"

Kal jumped into the air and then landed behind her which caused the ground shake. He reached towards her, the glint of the amulet beckoning for him.

"So is this your little toy?"

"HANDS OFF!"

"Well, looks like I touched a nerve," Kal responded as he circled her then snatched the amulet off of her neck and rushed off to the other side of the island.

The Amazons were turned into various different animals, some pigs, some sheep, others goats, and there were a few horses as well. Hippolyta was turned into a female dog and Kal pointed the amulet towards her.

"I hope this works," he murmured, he had not the slightest idea how magic worked.

Circe appeared behind him with a pop, and proceeded to smash him in the back of the head with a large branch, knocking Kal head over heels to the ground.

"Little boys shouldn't play with jewelry," Circe stated as she snapped the amulet back around her neck after snatching it away from him. She lifted her hands preparing to work her charms on the young man. "Magic always comes at a price, Kal-El."

He was able to dodge her attacks at super speed as Diana rushed in and drop kicked Circe in the face. Sending her down hard to the ground.

"So any idea how the amulet works?" Kal asked Diana and the Amazon Princess circled around Circe, grabbing the Sorceress around the legs the Amazon Princess tripped her hard back onto her face as she tried to stand.

"I'll let you know when I grab it, but it's advanced magic," Diana stated as she assisted Kal.

Chloe watched the battle as she clutched Kara the bunny in her arms. The blonde's gaze followed the battle, her mouth snapping open and shut. She appeared to be stuck like this her mind having locked up due being overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the events happening around her.

'_Get the blasted amulet, how fucking hard is that?' _Kara thought in a cross tone of voice, as she folded her little bunny paws and scowled nastily.

Diana and Kal battled Circe, the intensity of the battle rolling on, before she raised her hands up and a bolt of energy surrounded Diana, Kal, Chloe, and Kara.

"I'll deal with you on my own terms!" Circe yelled as she banished them from the island with a stomp of her foot.

* * *

Triumph reigned supreme in the eyes of Circe, malice danced through the eyes of the Sorceress as she swayed from one side to the next. She drummed her fingers on the side of the pedestal as she saw the Amazons or rather the animals that they had been turned into.

"I think I may have to get you stuffed," Circe remarked in a casual voice as she caressed the amulet on her neck and Hippolyta started barking at her. The woman conjured a newspaper and smacked Hippolyta on the snout. "Down, girl."

She threw her head back and laughed like a mad woman, which she quite frankly was. The sorceress moved her way into the palace, a few of the Amazons had not been transformed. Rather she put them in chains, something that she thought was fitting retribution. Malice filled her eyes as she stepped forward and took a look at the palace, before she saw the statue.

"This is what you worship," Circe commented as she turned to the bound Amazons. "Some hero he turned out to be. Where is your messiah now?"

She looked at the statue and blasted it to dust, she appeared to be bored. It was not something that intrigued her. Granted, Kal-El was a minor amusement but the amusement was short-lived. She tapped her fingers on the side of the pedestal and threw her head back before she sighed.

"A pity that it has to end like this."

She placed her hands forward and stepped outside, before she fixed a leash to the transfigured Hippolyta and walked her inside. With another swift movement, Circe chained Hippolyta to the side of the throne.

"It's my moment of triumph," Circe commented as she placed her hands forward and once again Hippolyta barked at her. "Save it, you might think that I haven't won yet, but you're mistaken. You are a foolish, unremarkable wench and….well I'm amused by the fact that I'll get to keep you as a pet."

Circe reached forward and patted Hippolyta on the top of the head in a condescending manner. She then ran her nails rather roughly along the top of the woman turned dogs head causing Hippolyta to yelp in pain as she did so. The woman tried to pull herself free as Circe laughed mockingly. The sorceress reached forward and helped herself to the stash in the wine cabinet.

"A toast for the end," Circe remarked in a crisp voice as she poured herself a drink. She tipped it into her mouth and swigged it.

It really hit the spot and she turned her head around to ponder the situation.

"I'm sure you've wondered where I've sent your precious little brat and her pet, and those other two," Circe commented in a bright voice. "I could turn them into cockroaches but that wouldn't serve my purpose and it would cut my fun tragically short. I want everything to sink in, I want the hopelessness to sink in and I want them slowly broken."

Circe smirked, the malevolent smile crossing her face, breaking people was not something that she got that much great joy out of. Okay, perhaps she lied. Maybe a little bit, but there were instances where there was a point that needed to be made. She sat on the throne before she threw her head back and offered a brief smile.

"Soon, the power will be mine and everyone on this island will bow before me," Circe stated to the dog as she scowled at her. "Look at me like that if you must but you aren't going to do anything to me."

Hippolyta's growls continued to get louder and Circe once again conjured a newpaper and waffled her on the nose. The Queen of the Amazons growled and she snarled towards Circe, trying to push herself out of her constraints. There was a moment in time as she tried to pull herself out and her chain nearly slid out as she freed herself.

Circe allowed Hippolyta to free herself for an instant before she reined her back in, it was kind of amusing with this woman he tried to pull herself back and forth. Her eyes glinted with malicious fury.

"Quaint, the princess is trying to sneak back onto my island," Circe stated as a crown appeared on her head and she reached over to bust open a crate of gold. She threw her head back and sighed so bored that it was not even funny. The Sorceress spun her head around and watched everything that happened around her, tapping her fingers on the side of the throne.

It was almost quaint if it was not so pathetic and Circe braced herself for the moment where the princess and her friends would end up trying to earn their way back onto the island. That would be hilarity beyond everything that she ever experienced if they tried to do this. The purple haired woman threw her head back and relaxed, let them come. She would laugh; in fact amusement would be brought to her.

It was like a show and it was one that she would watch, with absolute amusement. A grin crossed her face as she threw her head back and laughed because that was all she could do when this situation presented itself, find amusement in the utter absurdity.

"Will it be fun to see your daughter fail?" Circe asked Hippolyta but the dog growled. "Down girl."

She conjured a newspaper and smacked Hippolyta on the nose with it.

* * *

'_I can't believe this….actually I can believe this,' _Kara fumed as she was unable to speak due to the limitations of being a rabbit. _'That bitch made fools out of us.'_

Diana and Kal got the worst of the teleportation spell, they were rattled but for some reason, Circe did not do anything. She had all of that magic at her control, she had a clear shot, and she could have destroyed them. Yet they were alive.

"So, why didn't Circe blast us into dust?" Chloe mused as Diana and Kal threw their heads back with sighs.

Neither of them had an answer but it was a good question. They wondered why Circe did not take what they could have agreed was a necessary step to exterminate them. It was obvious that she had a grudge towards Diana, although that same grudge was aimed more towards Hippolyta.

"She could have turned us into cockroaches and stomped us but she sent us here," Diana stated as she closed her eyes. She opened them back up after a second of thought. "Oh, great Hera."

Chloe blinked and she slowly turned towards Diana. "Now was that a good, great Hera, or a bad great Hera?"

Diana decided that she better elaborate and she did so with frustration dripping from her voice. "Well she's somehow blocked access to the island. Which she could only do if both mother and myself are indisposed."

Kal thought that summed up the hopeless situation but he squinted his eyes and tried to use his X-Ray Vision to see if there was anything in the energies surrounding the island that he might be able to pinpoint as weak spot he'd be able force his way through. So far there was nothing, Kal turned around to face Diana.

"There has to be some kind of backdoor, you know just in case of an emergency," Kal stated and Diana's eyes widened before she shook her head.

"Clark's got a point,' Chloe commented as she threw her head back and cradle the very irritated rabbit in her arms. "Circe wasn't exactly someone that the Amazon's were rolling out the welcome wagon for?"

Diana shook her head so Chloe continued.

"So there might have been some kind of backdoor she busted open and sauntered her way onto the island through," Chloe continued as she pondered before she saw Kal. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Trying to figure out how I can get through….well it doesn't matter," Kal stated as Kara nodded her head in agreement.

"It seems like Kara is approving of whatever you're trying to do," Chloe responded as she saw Kara's eyes dart from side to side. For a bunny, she could get pretty expressive.

"For one thing, I'm trying to pinpoint a fault in the energy matrixes in the island," Kal explained to her and Chloe's eyes widened. "I'm trying to see if the harmonics are off so we can pinpoint where the temporal influxes in the time distortion on the islands lapse."

Chloe blinked. She did not expect such big words to come out of Clark's mouth. She placed a hand on his forehead as if checking to see if he was running a fever.

"What he's trying to say is he's trying to find a fault in the time dilation," Diana added helpfully.

"I'm sure it's something that all Kryptonians are capable of," Kal responded with a shrug and the rabbit shook her head. "You mean it's actually….something I can do that's unique to myself and not something anyone else can do?"

The rabbit shrugged her shoulders before she nodded her head up and down and practically came close to rolling her eyes but that was not something that she was able to do. She had limited movements as a rabbit to be honest and she turned her head.

"Just keep up doing what you're doing and we'll slip in," Diana remarked as she placed her hands on her face and waited to see what Clark was going to do.

Chloe watched there was something that caused her to think that she should be able to get a read on this. In fact the unique energies around this island caused her eyes to shift and watch what was going on around it. Her eyes flashed as she could have sworn that she saw a symbol flash into it. How she was able to lock onto it was unknown.

She decided to remain quiet and continued to hold Kara, who looked rather eager to have her transformation and her humiliation end before too long. Chloe flinched as she saw Kara's eyes glowing.

'_C'mon Kal, C'mon Kal, you can do it, you have it within you,' _Kara thought as a mantra, even though she lacked the ability to speak. She pressed her paws to her face and imagined ripping out Circe's face and throat.

It was a glorious thought, that much was for sure.

'_Okay, focus,' _Kal thought to himself as he saw a hole appear, it was as small as a pinprick, something that he could barely see. He stepped towards the hole and pressed his thumb onto it.

"Let's go," Kal told both of them before he slipped through with a slight pop and Diana, Chloe, and Kara followed.

There was a sense that they were walking into the mouth of the lion but they all needed to keep their wits about them. If they made one wrong move, this time Circe might be able to finish the job that she started.

'_Better be careful,' _Kal thought to himself as he placed his hands on his head. _'Given the time dilation, she's likely had months to prepare for us coming back. Then again, it's not quite clear how it works, Diana wasn't that clear on it. Ah time and space, the great thing that gives headaches to the best of us.'_

* * *

Circe sneered as she rocked herself back on the throne and watched as her transfigured Amazons surrounded her. She basked in her moment of triumph but like always, said triumph was completely fleeting. There was always something that really messed up the most well thought out plans and the sorceress's eyes flashed.

Annoyance filled her, annoyance that she felt something for that whelp, and she alternated between wanting to tie him down and have her wicked way with him or turning him into some insect to crush. The reason why Circe banished him from the island was to contemplate what she wished to do with him. Plus she enjoyed making the Amazons squirm as she made her next move, that was always a bonus.

"So he should show that up about now, then we can resume our game," Circe commented lightly as she turned around and she could almost feel it. "Predictable as always."

"Change them back, Circe!"

Circe turned to Kal-El and scoffed, rather amused that he was trying to be authoritative, it amused her greatly to be honest, she could almost laugh out loud at the absurdity of it. The witch shifted herself on the chair and sent a swirling vortex of magic around her hand. She could blast him at any time, but she decided to toy around with him first.

"Change them back, Circe," Circe repeated in a sing song tone of voice. "Well aren't you precious?"

Kal rushed the chair but stopped short.

"Could it be that you actually are engaging your brain? I never thought it was possible that behind that handsome face there was something behind those ears that actually could tick. It's a shame that I'm going to have to make a few tweaks to make sure that you're a bit easier to handle."

Circe threw her hand back and tried to nail him with a bolt of magical energy but Kal dodged the attack. He weaved around it and was about to run up the wall but his feet were tangled up from underneath him. He flew head over heels and crashed hard to the ground in a tremendous impact.

"If first you cannot succeed, I would suggest giving up, because you're not good at it," Circe taunted him as she had him pinned to the ground, wrapped up in magical bindings. She stepped forward and placed one foot on his chest, a taunting glint through her eyes. "Did you really think it was going to end any other way?"

"I hoped….I hoped that it would be the case," Clark responded as he struggled hard to push her off, but the Last Son of Krypton was unable to break free of the magical chains that bound him to the ground.

"That was pathetic," Circe responded in a calm voice as she tried to stomp her foot into Kal's face but Kal at the last second by sheer force of will or perhaps stubbornness busted free from the chains. He did not move out of the way in time of getting kicked in the face.

Circe gracefully bounced back and then Diana slid behind her.

"I should have turned you into a pig when I had the chance," Circe raged as she tried to blast Diana but she ducked her head and spinning quickly used her momentum to kick Circe hard in the in the back of the leg.

"Why didn't you?" Diana taunted her as she followed up the kick by grabbing Circe by the hair and then proceeded to drill her head as hard as she possibly could into the wall.

In a rage, Circe used her magic to throw her hard across the ground causing Diana to skip off it a couple times in her flight and now it was Chloe's turn to add her input. Despite the fact that the blonde was still getting the hang of her powers, she managed to hold her own, despite being essentially being little more then a distraction so they could get into position for the real attack. There was no time for Circe to answer, she got more and more frustrated as time went on and she swung at Chloe.

Chloe dodged her attack and bounced up into the air, doing a somersault and landed on her feet. It was a shaky little maneuver but it worked out alright.

'_Amulet, easier than it looks,' _Chloe thought to herself as she dodged an attack. _'And if I get zapped by her, who knows what will happen.'_

She grimaced.

'_I have a good enough imagination to figure it out.'_

Kal circled her, sticking to her blind spot. Circe's obsession always was directed at Diana. That was an Achilles heel that the Kryptonian intended to exploit. And exploit it he did, as he rushed around at super speed causing dust to kick up. One key point about magic is it needed line of sight to be able to work. If Circe was unable to see, then she was unable to zap them with any magical energy and that would be bad for her.

She choked on the dust as Kal continued to rush forward and grab the woman around the head. A titanic struggle happened between both of them and Circe launched Kal into the wall hard. He bounced off the wall, his face smashing hard and he rolled over, before there was a boot placed on the back of his head.

"Again we try….where is it?" Circe stated as she placed her hand on her neck and felt around on her neck. She tried to find the amulet and without it, she felt naked and not in the good way.

"Looking for this?"

Diana swung the amulet tauntingly. Circe watched it, rather angry as she saw it sway from one side to the next. The young sorceress rushed forward to grab the Amazon Princess.

'_I hope this works,' _Diana thought to herself as she aimed the amulet.

The rabbit was surrounded by purple light and slowly the limbs elongated before said rabbit turned back into a person. The blonde hair and blue eyes returned as Kara dropped down to the ground. Other than her hair being in slight disarray she was completely fine although her eyes burned red with her rage.

She flew forward and nailed Circe with a thunderous punch to the face. The Sorceress was completely thrown off her game and that punch knocked her for a loop. One might say that it knocked her completely cross eyed as well. If she had been a normal woman, there was a chance that Kara might have knocked her head clean off. Never the less, her fist connected with Circe's face.

"Now, it was all in good fun," Circe stammered as she rubbed the side of her face and Kara hoisted her up high above the ground. The sorceress twitched as Kara's eyes began to glow even brighter, and a low hum could be heard. "Look, I didn't mean any harm, it was just….it was his fault!"

Circe crooked her finger towards Kal-El, pointing towards him.

Diana rolled her eyes at this assertion and turned towards Circe, with an agitated expression crossing her face. "It's just like you to claim that it's someone else's fault but your own."

"It was….he did something to me, I got a blast of something, all of that sexual energy, it was witchcraft at it's worse," Circe whined like a little girl as Diana focused the amulet.

What worked with Kara should work with everyone else. The Amazons were turned back to normal or at least what passed as normal for them.

Circe's fate, well it appeared that Circe's fate was going to be an interesting one indeed. Until she learned some humility, she was not going to get what she desired, at least not yet.

Diana had a feeling that was going to be a long time coming.

* * *

"So, I have to commend you on your quick thinking," Hippolyta concluded in a tense tone of voice as she watched the group.

It was true without that quick thinking, they would be in a stew that they would not be able to think about.

"Don't thank me, thank Kal, if it was not for him, we wouldn't be able to find a way back in," Diana stated as she grabbed his hand tightly.

"Yeah, way to go Clark, who knew you could be actually useful for something?" Chloe asked with a wide grin on her face.

"I am useful….you're winding me up, aren't you?" Clark asked Chloe and the blonde offered him a smile before she decided to say what she thought in the most blunt way possible.

"Only because it's one of the easiest things in the world," Chloe remarked crisply before she added. "Kind of like shooting fish in a barrel."

"Very funny, Chloe," Clark responded as he narrowed his eyes in agitation but Chloe smirked back at him.

"I do try," Chloe stated but she threw her arm around Clark nevertheless. "Seriously, I really do try a lot."

"I know you do," Clark remarked as he held her against him but there was something that he had to bring up.

"So what happens to Circe now?"

"Normally, I'm not one for drawing out someone's utter humiliation," The Queen of the Amazons commented in a light tone of voice, although Clark took this tone to mean that she was about ready to make an exception. "For something like this, I don't think that we'll pass up the opportunity."

She eyed Circe with a certain amount of maliciousness dancing through her eyes but there was something else going through her eyes. What was it? Was it pity? They didn't know but Circe was chained to the foot of Hippolyta's throne, not able to move. There was something about that fact which was rather satisfying to the queen.

Perhaps she should not really get such joy out of the discomfort of others but being turned into a dog and chained to her own throne, well that caused a vindictive streak to appear in Hippolyta's mind. It was something that fueled her for a little bit and the smile continued to widen around her face as Diana stepped back. There was no question about it, everyone nearby that throne was reminded why the Queen of the Amazons was not to be trifled with.

"So, Circe, if you behave, I might let you off your chain to play," Hippolyta stated as she patted the woman on her head and she tried to pull herself free.

There was only a small chance of it ever happening in her mind but the chance was there.

"And just to make things interesting, you'll be able to experience the pleasure that you could from Kal-El but it will be a long time before you actually get a taste of him," Hippolyta stated as she stepped up and placed her hand on Kal's cheek then ran her fingers down it before leaning forwards to plant her lips onto his.

Kal pulled her mature body into his strong one and the two's embrace became rather heated. Even more so given the fact that Hippolyta pushed him onto her own throne and straddled him, wrapping her arms and legs around him. Circe was forced to bare witness to this joining.

Even Diana, Kara, and Chloe got worked up, as did the royal guard that watched them.

"This is a taste of what you won't be getting," Hippolyta added as she placed her hand down on Circe's face. The woman could not speak, she merely could only observe. There was a second where she twisted her head around but only a second. She tried to free herself from that position but there was no way out. "Humility, it's something that you should learn."

'_I guess the moral of the story is never to fuck with royalty,' _Chloe thought as she turned her head around and saw the sun rise over the island.

The last few weeks ran through Chloe's mind like an extremely intense roller coaster ride, she couldn't even fathom being normal. After what happened there was no going back as the blonde thought.

"Deep thoughts?"

Kara stated this and broke her out of them.

"In a way, yes," Chloe agreed as her heart thumped a little bit but Kara pulled her into a tightening embrace.

"I hope that….well I think that you'll figure out where we're going, we all will," Kara remarked as she watched the sunset. Kal joined them as did Diana.

"Maybe we all will?"

Diana stated those words and those were solid words. They all had no idea what the future really held although there were plans that were going through their heads. While the departure from the island was delayed slightly due to the crisis, they had their heads back on and now it was time for them to move forward.

Move forward and do what, well that would be something to determine at another time. All four of them were confident that they were leaving together and going to bring some kind of great change.

Chloe and Clark both had some unfinished business that Circe interrupted but that would be picked back up soon.

And maybe if Circe did learn her lesson, Kal-El would return to give the woman her reward. Or to punish her in his own way.

They would all have to wait and see.

**To Be Continued in the Next Chapter. **


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Departure

**Chapter Thirteen: Departure.**

Quiet, calm, and tranquil that was what the mood was on the island the next morning. It was hard to believe that yesterday, Circe attacked and caused all kinds of untold havoc on the island. Now that everything was back to normal or what passed as normal on the island of the Amazons. An island full of women rarely did pass as normal as Kal reminded himself for a moment. Then again, would the Last Son of Krypton ever pass as normal?

He looked up at the sky, seeing the yellow sun and there were many questions that moved through his mind. It was moving a mile a moment as he contemplated everything. Reflective wasn't the worst word to use but Kal wouldn't see himself as reflective. While he learned the lessons from what happened, he wanted to see what he could do now.

"So, are okay after yesterday?"

Diana stepped up behind Kal as he took in everything and did not say anything for a moment. He remained silent and crossed his arms. There was a second where Diana wondered if Kal was lost in his own little world. However, he did not remain silent for too long and he turned around to face her. A pair of hands met a second pair of hands and they went eye to eye.

"As fine as I'm going to be," Kal commented with a smile on his face, as he pulled her into a strong embrace. Diana returned it as both of them rested in each others arms to enjoy the time they shared. There was an instant where they stared into each others eyes and there was a calming sensation that moved through their bodies. "But, everything is going fine, although I'm about ready to head back home."

Kal saw Diana's eyes and he added in a hasty voice.

"I mean, the island is…."

Diana's lips cut off Kal's words with a kiss, which he returned. He placed his hand on the small of her back and held her into his chest. The Kryptonian and the Amazon gazed into each other's eyes as they enjoyed this time together. There was a long breath as Kal nearly hoisted her off of the ground. She allowed her to do so, his strong arms wrapped around her.

Diana pulled back and a smile crossed her face before she placed her hands on Kal's and looked him in the eyes. "The deal really is that I enjoy the island but….yeah it can wear on me. I'm ready to see the rest of the world. And the fact that you, I, Kara, and Chloe can do it together, that's going to be amazing."

There would always be a part of her that would be connected to this island but she was going to have to move on to the rest of the world. Her raven locks blew in the wind as she closed her eyes and took an instant to relax against the strong arms of the man that she fell in love with.

"So, today's the day, isn't it?"

Diana responded with a nod, there was no reason to delay this any more than they did already. There were many instances where they were about to leave the island but Chloe showing up and then Circe delayed everything.

"We don't have to leave right away, time doesn't pass on this island," Kal told her and Diana shook her head with a smile on her face.

"We don't have to, but we might not want to delay too much longer."

That was a point that they all had to agree with and Diana focused her gaze off to the side form the island. There was an instant where she thought about all that she might have left behind.

"You don't mind if we wait one more day?" Diana asked Kal and Kal smiled at her.

"What is one more day compared to the time that we've spent here?" Kal asked Diana as he tightened the embrace around Diana and smiled at his Amazon princess. "Actually it might be good, although with each day, it's kind of getting harder to leave."

Diana's face snapped into a wide grin before she stated in an honest tone, "If that isn't the truth, than only Hera knows what might be."

"I wonder if Circe is behaving," Kal commented but Diana turned towards him before she stated in a playful tone of voice.

"Well if she isn't behaving, then I'm sure mother might summon you to give her a spanking," Diana responded but then she added as an afterthought. "Then again, she might get off on that."

"And by maybe, you think she will," Kal remarked and Diana inclined her head slightly with a nod and a smile crossed her face.

"Yes, I do believe that she might," Diana agreed as she barely suppressed a bright smile that crossed her face. Actually the amusing images danced through her mind now, it was something that had to be seen to believed but the Princess of the Amazons decided that she would allow herself to be entertained by that notion.

"You are enjoying the thought of her being punished, aren't you?"

There was a moment of pause before Diana decided to answer that question honestly.

"I don't….I don't normally get off on the suffering of others, but yes, in some ways, I'm enjoying her being punished yes," Diana remarked as she turned from his embrace, although Kal still had an arm draped around her shoulder.

They heard the ocean waves slap against the rocks and the smiles crossed over their faces. This was an amazing night for the both of them and it was going to get even more amazing as both of them awaited the next time they shifted around each other.

It was an amazing night and Kal threw his arm pulling Diana in closely.

Kara hovered outside, pleased to be one hundred percent Kryptonian again and not some evil monstrosity of a rabbit. Rabbits were the ultimate evil and that was Kara's story and she was quite frankly sticking to it.

There was a long pause as Kara thought to say something but there would be plenty of time. Plus she wanted one look in the library. There were hints that Kal might not have been the first Kryptonian to visit this part of the world and her intellectual curiosity was piqued. She would have to find out even more than she did. The blonde prepped herself for a long evening of painstaking research.

* * *

Chloe hated playing the waiting game but she reminded herself that good things came to those who waited. Patience was not part of her bloodline, although to be fair she was not nearly as bad as her cousin was. Things seemed so much simpler about a month ago, not that they were ever simple in the insanity fueled joyride that was Smallville.

She spun around and saw Clark standing there, or Kal-El, it was hard to tell. Although she wondered about the Kryptonian multiple personality thing, it was almost like he was trying to find some kind of medium. Then again, most teenagers did go through those phases where it was hard to find a path. So why would super powered teenagers be any different?

"So?" Chloe asked as she turned her head around to face him fully and a smile crossed her face before the blonde inhaled and exhaled. She focused a steely gaze on Clark's face. He returned fire with a raised eyebrow when the young Kryptonian waited for Chloe to talk. She wondered if he was going to make her speak or make the first move himself. "Well…."

"We were having a conversation before we were so rudely interrupted," Clark offered as he stepped forward as his mouth curled into a smile and his eyes fixed on hers. "Remind me again what that conversation entailed."

Chloe turned her head to the side with a soft blush but kept her eyes inclined towards the face of her friend, soon to be more if she had anything to say about it. "Well the conversation entailed a lot of….well a lot of us really dancing around the topic at hand."

"We do that a lot," Kal agreed as he put his arms around Chloe and pulled her in closely to him.

"Yeah we do but…."

Kal was done dancing around the topic and his mouth met Chloe's. The blonde's eyes widened but she returned the kiss with equal fever. Her arms tightened around him and Kal's did the the same around her. The two of them were a tangled mess of limbs as Chloe wrapped around him and pushed him back into the tree.

"Let me show you what I wanted to do to you for years," Chloe offered as she held Kal's wrists and he allowed her to pin him back against the tree.

"If you're sure that you're up for it," Clark retorted back to her and Chloe cupped his crotch with her hand, a smile crossing her face.

"You look pretty up for it, Clark," Chloe remarked with a smile crossing her face and lust dancing in her eyes.

**Lemon Scene Begins. **

-PROFILE-

**Lemon Scene Ends. **

Clark pulled Chloe's body into him, feeling her newly defined body, thanks to the powers. The blonde closed her eyes and rested against his strong chest. It was now that Clark got a good look at her much larger breasts, mostly as they pressed against his side. She grew a little bit although she was still a bit shorter than Diana or Kara. Then her ass was defined even more.

This was the life, and the power of the Red rocks lingered with him after the physical rock was removed from his possession. The blonde rested against him and his chest. They went for a long time and now they were content with each other.

* * *

"So did I pass the test?" Chloe asked as she rested her head on Clark's chest in the aftermath.

"You weren't really being tested Chloe," Clark commented back to her and she grabbed his wrists with a smile and straddled him. Despite the fact they went several rather intense rounds, she was ready for more.

"Well, you passed it, that's for sure," Chloe responded as she he leaned down towards him smiling softly and pressed a pair of soft lips against his. He returned the kiss with equal fury, wrapping an arm tighter around her and pulled her tightly into him.

This was something that felt right to both of them; there was no question about that. It was amazing and there was nothing that was better. Chloe pressed herself against Clark and wrapped her legs around him. She felt much stronger and much more confident since receiving these powers. Plus there was an instant where she….well that was beside the point. Chloe placed her hand on Clark's face and tapped the side of it.

"I don't know about you, but I can do this every day, and never get tired of it," Chloe commented as she ran her hands down Clark's chest, feeling the delightful muscles upon it.

"Do you even have to ask?" Clark commented and Chloe laughed in amusement. The blonde shifted, squirming on top of him and practically pinning him down.

"No, but it doesn't hurt to hear it every now and them," Chloe commented as she held Clark's arms closely against her and bent down again as she pressed her lips against his once again. Another kiss that he hungrily returned and she probed her tongue into his mouth, while she ran a pair of hands all over her body.

Chloe wondered if she was going to wake up from some kind of dream, which would depress her to no end if that was the case. It was a bit before she came to the conclusion that this was going to be no dream. No this was reality and she rolled her hands down his body, feeling every peak, every swell of his bulging muscles.

The two of them broke apart as they saw Kara standing there, arms folded before she watched the two of them.

Kara could almost sense the pent off sexual tension that both of them unleashed. She could feel what Kal felt, given the unique connection to them when they had their initial round of love making under the tight embrace of the Red Kryptonite. So she essentially felt everything that Kal did during her escapades with other women.

It was a good thing that Kara was naturally open minded to such things, although she suspected that some women might need to be prodded a little bit. Naturally what they wanted deep down was often outweighed by what was considered to be acceptable by the standards of society. It was a sad thing but it was something that Kara had to grudgingly accept for now even though she endeavored to fix that selfishness in time. The blonde closed her eyes and threw her head back with a long sigh.

Then again, this making sure all Kal's needs were taken care of thing was going to be a tricky one to pull off even in the best of times, but hey she was going to do it. That's the promise that she made Lara and with the Red Kryptonite effects causing havoc on women anywhere Kal went, that was going to change the rules of the game. The blonde smirked as she thought about the possibilities of what this scenario could bring.

"How long have you been standing there?"

Chloe piped in with this question and Kara turned towards her, a wide grin plastered across her face as she decided to let in Chloe on what she was up to.

"Oh long enough," Kara remarked as Kal got up to his feet and found that his pants had nearly been flung off of the rocks. He super sped over and picked them up before he put them on swiftly. "Seriously, I didn't want to interrupt the amazing thing that you shared."

Chloe leaned against the tree as she slipped her undergarments back on as a smile crossed her face. "You should have joined in."

Kara smiled back at her. "Maybe, I'll do that next time but hey the first time is always more amazing when it is one on one."

The blonde thought that her first time with Kal was the best, although there were times where she thought that he held back, even under the effects of the red rocks. Now that that his mind became clearer and the inhibitions became lost, he was more clear headed than ever before. Kara threw her head back, a grin crossing her face and she ground her foot on the ground, before tapping from one side to the next.

"Well, you got the amazing part," Chloe commented as her arm tightened around Kal's waist and she threw her head back, a grin crossing her face. "I hope to have many more like that, more than you could ever imagine."

"Don't worry, Chloe, I intend to make every single day of yours, amazing like that."

Chloe grinned back as she waved her hand towards him. "Promises, promises."

Kal offered her another shifty grin. "You know it's the truth."

"Oh I know, you still know that you're too easy," Chloe stated as she wrapped her arms around him and her legs straddled his hips slightly as he pressed back first against the tree. Kara stood on the other side of them, amused by the interplay.

"Not to break this lovely moment up but we have to say goodbye, I know that's a hard thing to do, but it has to be done," Kara commented in a light tone of voice and Chloe and Clark all nodded, that was the hardest part of departing anywhere.

* * *

"I suspected that this day was coming but I hoped to delay it as long as I could," Hippolyta commented as she saw Clark, Kara, and Chloe before her. Some of the Amazons, many of them who called for Clark's blood when he entered the island, were not that happy to see that he was going. "While I think that it may be prudent to issue a royal decree to keep you on the island, I know that it is unlikely."

"Do you really think that would end well?" Kara asked in a playful tone of voice and the Queen of the Amazons cracked a smile across her face.

"No, I don't think that it would end that well to be honest," Hippolya admitted as she shifted herself across her chair and tapped on it. Circe was still chained to the side. "It is not like I am without hobbies. Training this one will take up a fair amount of my time but I am confident that I can make something respectable out of her. It may take time."

Diana thought that her mother did have some strange hobbies but then again, who was she to judge? Whatever kept her amused and out of trouble, that was completely okay with her. The dark haired Amazon Princess surveyed the situation between her mother and Circe with amusement.

"Good luck with that," Kara remarked towards the Amazon Queen and Hippolyta's lips curled into a smile.

"Luck does not even come into it. I will tame Circe," Hippolyta stated in an authoritative tone of voice as she threw her head back and placed a palm on the edge of the arm on her throne. "But, the sentiment is something that I appreciate, I believe this experiment will work."

The woman's eyes flashed darkly for a moment as a smile crossed on her face as the other guards surrounded her. Some of them suffered among the ordeals that she did but now the woman who was the architect to it was underneath her thumb. The woman turned her head to face the Sorceress for a moment and ran her hand down the back of the neck of her captive woman. There was a tapping motion as she turned back to face her daughter, and the other three once more.

"Well, I guess we'll be leaving," Diana stated, as she allowed that awkward moment between both of them. The raven haired Amazon princess placed her hands on her hips before she turned her head around and watched everything that was going on around them. "I must say…"

Hippolyta held up her hand and offered her daughter a look.

"After everything that you've been through, it's time for you to see what you can do on your own two feet and this may be the beginning of the Amazons making their inroads to man's world," Hippolya stated in a crisp tone as she leaned forward and grasped her daughter's hand, placing it in hers. "I hope that we will make the inroads to a better world, a future where all of us can coexist in harmony."

Hippolyta ventured into man's world a few times in the past although she decided that the experiences there were best left in the distant past. Perhaps that was just her but she was not looking forward to relieving them at all. She closed her eyes and threw her head back before a smile crossed her face.

"I do hope that wherever you go, it is filled with amazement and adventure," Hippolyta stated as she made sure the chain was secured around the throne.

It was a bother to chase down one's pets if they got away, but Hippolyta would take really good care of Circe. Sure she might need a little obedience training but she'd learn all kinds of tricks underneath the foot of the Queen of the Amazons. After she drew in a deep breath her head spun around and she faced the group that stood before her.

"And I'm certain that if you come back and visit, this one might be ready for a reward," Hippolyta stated as she eyed Circe. "She may be pretty much choking for it."

There was a part of Kal that almost felt bad for Circe.

There was no part of Kara who felt bad for her, she was still angry after being turned into one of the vilest creatures in the entire universe. That was something that she was not going to get over any time soon, that was something that anyone who talked to her could take to the bank. The blonde's lip curled into a slight sneer as she threw her head back and closed her eyes.

"I'm sure she'll earn something eventually but make her long for it," Kara stated as she patted Circe on the head in a pretty condescending manner.

Hippolyta smiled before she said one statement, lips curled into a grin. "Naturally, naturally, it wouldn't be right if we didn't make her work for it."

Again, Kal felt a slight shudder and knew that Kara could be rather scary if she could put her mind to something. That was something that was proven in the time he knew her and it was a good thing that she was on his side. His arm wrapped around Kara's waist and Chloe inserted herself in on the other side. Diana was in front of them which gave all three of them a perfect view of her tight ass.

That was a very nice position to be in, if the trio might say so themselves.

"I think the inevitable has been delayed much too long," Diana remarked as she leaned forward and offered her mother a tight hug. "I bid you a good day and I will be back before too long."

Kara floated up and the Queen of Amazons gave her a greeting of goodbye as well. Chloe took her turn and Hippolyta's arms snaked around her waist as well.

It was Kal's turn and Hippolyta pulled him into a tight embrace, her breasts pressed against his chest and he was sure that she also grabbed a hearty handful of ass as her hand reached forward and brushed against his crotch.

"I trust you'll be back after that teaser," Hippolyta remarked as she pressed her lips onto Kal's once again.

There was a moment where they thought that the Red Kryptonite effects would fire up again but it did not happen, at least for now.

* * *

"Well, I don't think any of us thought that this would be easy," Diana remarked as she hovered across the water and Kal, Kara, and Chloe did their best to search for anything that might have dropped in the water on their way here.

No luck, there was not even a small chip of stone. The group felt that that they were in dire straits and doom filled their minds. It was something that they thought about with a grim assessment.

"It wasn't easy, and I could have sworn that the stone was around here somewhere," Chloe stated as she threw her head back with a long and labored sigh. She felt the need to smash her hand against something just to work her frustrations. "At least the one that you have is safe."

"Lara won't let anything happen to it," Kal remarked in a brisk tone of voice but there were a number of doomed scenarios that passed through his head about what might happen if someone got their hands on the other two.

Somehow had the stone, the second one, did they know what it was capable of. Or were they some hapless bystanders who stumbled upon a cool rock to add to their collection? That was what Kal wished to find out and he turned his head around to determine what to do next. To be honest, he long since ran out of options, as frustrating as that might be.

"The first stone we have, second stone we lost, and we still haven't been able to find the third one, someone's giving us the run around," Kal stated as he blasted from the sky and he continued to search, trying to lock onto the signature of the stone.

The problem was since his confidence and his mind had been rattled, it was hard to locate the stone. That was one fundamental flaw with this portion of his powers, if anything was thrown off, he was kind of screwed.

"Kal, breath, take one, oxygen is kind of conductive to living," Kara offered as she closed her eyes and then opened them to collect her thoughts. She would be lying if she was not a little bit worried as well but there were things that she needed to focus on. The blonde spun around and looked up to the sky.

"I have a theory," Chloe commented to them and they all turned around. "Well Lionel Luthor….he's been snooping around the caves, so do you think that it might be possible that he has the stone?"

Kal was in two minds about that, he thought that there should be no way that Lionel found out about the stone. Then again, the man was oddly resourceful, that was one point that was hard to dispute. That was a Luthor trait and one that he remembered very well.

"It's possible," Kal stated and Kara's dread continued.

Diana was new to this and she had really no idea what they were talking about so she hoped that they could bring her up to speed sooner rather than later. A frown crossed her face before she offered one statement.

"Who is Lionel Luthor?"

Chloe decided to let her in on the news. "He's…the father one of Clark's friends, I guess for lack of a better term."

That reminded Clark of where he stood with Lex or rather where he would have stood if Lex wasn't apparently missing in action, presumed dead. There was many times where Clark questioned their friendship, although he tried to justify certain things as Lex simply being Lex. He was a Luthor, he had many issues, that was just part and parcel with the entire program.

Still there was a part of Clark that always wondered and he decided to keep his eyes ahead. There was no chance that the stone was going to pop up out of nowhere and surprise them. Be that as it may, Clark figured that it would be prudent to keep their eyes open along with their minds. Just in case, because one never knew if something was going to surprise him.

"And he's obsessive," Chloe continued without missing a beat. "I guess that's a Luthor family trait."

Chloe awaited for Clark to jump in with some sort of defense on Lex's behalf but it never came.

"And I nearly….well it's not important."

"You were about to say something, surely it's important," Kara chimed in as she fixed a sharp gaze towards Chloe.

Being under Kara's watchful eye caused Chloe to wilt and the guilt that she felt swam towards her. Her only solace was that she did not pull the trigger, although she very nearly considered doing as Lionel asked. It was stubborn, a very hormonal outburst, something that could not be helped but still Chloe's guilt was not something that left her quickly.

"Chloe, spill," Kal remarked in a stern tone of voice.

Diana felt like an awkward outside party and she decided to prepare herself to step in to be a mediator. In case things took an unfortunate turn for the extremely ugly.

"Well Lionel….he came to me with a deal," Chloe remarked as she closed her eyes and decided to spit it out. The fact that both sets of Kryptonian eyes locked onto her face did not cause her to feel any better. "He wanted me….to tell him about anything out of the ordinary about you and in exchange, he'd put in the good word at the Daily Planet."

Chloe paused before she continued, pained and each second crawled by before she spat it out.

"I thought….I thought about it, I mean it's like networking almost, that's not a bad thing but I realized….that would be selling you out."

Chloe watched him and hung her head.

"You wouldn't have even considered it," Chloe stated but Clark caught her in mid-air and pulled her into a hug.

"You know, Chloe, I don't know what I would have done in that position," Clark admitted to her as he turned and looked into her bright eyes. "None of us know what we're going to do in an adverse situation until we actually do it."

Chloe nodded, something about that made a lot of sense, at least that's what she thought.

"You're right but….I feel so dirty," Chloe stated but Clark grabbed her into a tight hug before she threw her head back.

"I know, anyone would but we'll get the stone back and then….we'll figure out where the third one is," Clark remarked.

"Providing he is the one who took it," Diana stated to him.

Clark turned towards her and sighed. "Diana, you'll find out that knowing my luck, he's the one who has the stone."

There was something that Clark needed to do and that was check in with his mother. Given what Chloe mentioned, that was a meeting that was long overdue.

* * *

Lana placed her hand on her cheek and read the book in front of her. Why was it that if something became unattainable, it was always something that someone desired even more?

Her relationship with Clark, well it really didn't get off the ground. It was what it was, a passing attraction, at least that's what Lana convinced herself of. Then again, humans were rationalizing creatures that tended to make situations that caused great hurt out to be no big deal at all. The denial that swam through her mind was something that she would not deal with.

Lana reached over towards a package that was sent to her, and she frowned, that was not something that she saw the day before. Curiosity, got the better of her and Lana opened it up, eying the contents of the package carefully.

It was an amulet and Lana turned it over. There was a note and it said that it was a family heirloom. It was made just for her.

Lana eyed the amulet, her first instinct was to do some research before putting it on. It was one of those things that was suspicious before she swung the amulet from one side to the other. She held it high into the air and the dark haired female pressed the metal against her cheek.

Her mind became foggy and she wondered what the harm could be? It was just a piece of jewelry, there was nothing wrong with it. All logical thought processes went down the drain and Lana ran her fingers down it. There was a mark on it, two loops side by side with two dots and she held it over her head.

Without any other thoughts, Lana put the amulet around her neck and her pupils dilated, before she slumped down to the floor and completely blacked out.

Mystical energy swirled around her body as the mark burned into her body.

Needless to say, there was more than one contingency plan if there was a spanner thrown in the works. Lana's body convulsed as her genetic structure was altered and another being possessed her body.

"The time is coming, the stones will be mine."

**To Be Continued in the Next Chapter. **


	15. Chapter 14: Ghost in the Machine Part I

**Chapter Fourteen: Ghost in the Machine Part One. **

"I'm sorry that I lost the stone."

Kal offered that statement in the most apologetic manner possible as he stood side by side with Kara, Chloe, and Diana. There was a long moment of pause as they stood next to each other in the caves, all of them wondering what Lara would say, how she would react. The quartet waited as one could cut the tension with the knife. A pin could drop in the middle of the cave, and it could resound for miles around.

Diana placed her arm around Kal and waited before Lara finally got back to life.

"It is not your fault, at least not completely," Lara added in a swift tone of voice. She did wish that she could be able to help her son a bit better, but it was not completely ready. She hoped that it would be completely ready sooner rather than later. "There is a lot that you have to deal with, the seen and the unforeseen."

That was most certainly the truth or if that was not the truth, then they did not know what the truth might be. A labored breath escaped Kal's lips as he slumped his shoulders. Frustration resounded across his bold face.

"We're going to find a way to get that stone back, you know," Kal informed Lara and Lara said nothing but she mulled it over in her mind.

"Could we be for sure that Lionel Luthor has it?" Chloe asked them all.

"I'll give you all of the confirmation you need, yes he does have it."

The group spun around to face the woman standing there. She had red hair, a wig unknowingly to them, and brown eyes that stared back at them from behind a pair of glasses. Even though her blouse was buttoned up, they could still see the fairly sizeable breasts that strained against the fabric of her top.

"I don't think we've formally been introduced," Karen remarked as she stepped forward and stood before Kal. "Karen Starr, I represent STARR Industries."

She grabbed Kal around the hand fiercely and there was a swirling in her eyes as Kal locked onto Karen.

He frowned, there was something that was entirely familiar to him with her and Kal edged up before he gazed into his eyes. There was one statement that left his lips as he stared her down without blinking.

"Who are you really?"

Karen appeared to be thrown off but she recovered quickly. She tried to remain on her feet, remain calm, do not get flustered, it would be unwise for her to get thrown off. The blonde disguised as a redhead screwed her eyes shut.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Karen remarked although there was a feeling of being light headed close to him and the blonde realized what it was.

'_Red Kryptonite, it appears that….it's imprinted on both him and my younger self,' _Karen thought to herself as she tried to close her eyes. _'Which means it's going to hit me hard in a few minutes, it hits two types of people hard, magical users and Kryptonians, and since I'm both….well that's going to be pretty fucking potent and I could jump him here and now in the cave if I don't get my wits about me.'_

"If there's something you need to tell us, I'd like to know now," Kal told her as he grabbed her by the wrist.

Karen really wished that he did not touch her, it was hard to keep her wits about herself as it was. He exerted a certain amount of authority and being an Alpha Male that got her kind of hot and bothered.

'_Karen, you need to focus,' _she told herself and bit down on her lip. _'Just relax, you have….something important to do.'_

Karen turned her head around towards them.

"Anyway, as I said, my name is Karen Starr, from STARR Industries, I work for Doctor Swann," Karen informed Kal and this got his attention in a hurry. The Last Son of Krypton watched her, a calculating and searching expression filling his eyes before he inclined her head and motioned for her to continue. She did so. "I got out of a meeting with Lionel Luthor a couple of days ago and somehow, he's picked up the stone."

"Which means that bastard's the one that tried to shoot Kal and I out of the sky," Kara stated in a hostile voice but Chloe grabbed her around the shoulders.

"Not that I necessarily disapprove of you painting the city with Lionel Luthor's blood, but….we do kind of have to deal with this smartly," Chloe told Kara, hoping that sense would reign supreme for once, although dealing with hot tempered Kryptonians nine times out of ten meant otherwise.

Kara crossed her arms and an expression of discontent appeared on her face. Karen's mouth twitched as she held back laughter.

"What's so funny?" Kara demanded at her and Karen shook her head.

"Nothing, you just reminded me….well of someone," Karen told her before she placed her hands into her head and threw her head back with a sigh.

'_And that someone stares back from the mirror from me every morning,' _Karen remarked mentally to herself as she focused back on the matter at hand.

Kal was not amused. "If Lionel Luthor had the stone…."

"Why didn't I get it?" Karen asked him and Kal responded with a nod. "Well, you remember how well that little cloak and dagger act with the blood went, did you?"

"Not well," Kara said, as she grimaced at the reminder.

It was not something that she enjoyed having thrown in her face and she kept her eyes locked on Karen. Once again there was something about her that sounded familiar to Kara.

Karen wondered if Chloe caught on to the fact that she'd changed her voice a little bit, to make her sound a bit less like Kara. The way that the younger blonde looked at her, Karen dreaded that there would be something that would be brought up in the meantime. She folded her arms under her chest and the busty young woman offered a labored sigh.

"But, we know that Luthor has the stone….we should think of some way to get in from him," Kal stated, that was a plan and an idea that sounded a bit more heroic in his head then it did coming from his mouth.

Lionel Luthor, the interest he showed in the caves, it went beyond obsessive. Kal thanked his mother for apparently giving Chloe the ability to transport them in past the entrance. If Lionel saw them enter the cave, there was going to be problems.

"Do give me some credit, I have a plan."

Clark, Diana, Kara, and Chloe all had varying thoughts to that point but they would find out all too soon.

* * *

Lionel Luthor sat behind his desk, his stone was safely locked in the vault, and the meeting with Karen Starr was quite interesting. Although Lionel wondered what she was up to and by extension what Swann was up to. The businessman turned his head around to look out the window. They had to be up to something but he'd know what they were up to when the blood that he acquired was analyzed.

He wished that he would have gotten his hands on the source but those bumbling goons dropped the ball nearly every time. This time was no exception to that rule. The businessman thought about how his world came undone before him and then there was something that brought him out of his thoughts. There was something that ruined his well-organized world.

The stones were being found by someone else, after he spent years of his life trying to track them down. Thankfully there was others that he could use, use as pawns. The Teagues for instance, they were perfectly and easily manipulated like puppets dancing on a string. All Lionel needed to do was a little nod, a little prod, and they danced for him. It was amazing and gave him hours of amusement.

Their greed would lead to his victory.

The knock on the door once again brought Lionel out of his thoughts and he wondered who would dare pester him this time. Especially given that he left explicit instructions that he was not to be disturbed at all.

"I told you…."

"Dad, it's me open the door."

That caught Lionel's attention and one word was muttered from his lips, scarcely believing it. Given that he spent an arm and a leg for this person's funeral earlier. "Lex?"

"Yes, it's me, I have returned."

The door was opened and Lex walked inside. Lionel stayed cool and collected although his son did not look like in the best of frame of mind. The elder Luthor fixed his gaze on the younger one.

"I assumed you to be dead," Lionel said to his son, as if this was the most normal thing in the world. He put away what he was working on and got to his feet properly to look Lex in the eye. "Unless this is some kind of sick joke…."

"Well I got better and no this is not a sick joke," Lex stated, as he rubbed his head. There was something about the last few weeks that were a blur. "I found my way on an island and with my dying breath that was when I truly became a Luthor. I learned the meaning of survival."

"Yes that's great Lex but…."

"Yes it is great, and I've found a way back home and my sanity is one hundred percent intact," Lex breathed as he closed his eyes to savior the moment. "All these years, you've had a dirty little secret."

Lionel thought about it, truly there was were many things that he could consider a dirty little secret. In fact, he had to take extra care not to betray any of them to Lex or anyone else. There was a drumming of his hand on the desk before he spun his head around and watched him.

"I'm glad to see you back, son, but I have a feeling that you're not well," Lionel commented, trying to direct the meaning of this situation away from his own misdeeds to Lex's own mental well-being. That was what a concerned father would do, after all. "Do you think you need to stop by a hospital and get yourself checked up?"

Lex shook his head and smiled.

"No, you don't get it, I'm sounder than I've ever been, in fact I've been wondering why you're so interested in the caves, who is leaving, who is coming from them," Lex stated as his hands were placed on the desk. "And the fact that you're taking such an unhealthy interest in a minor, I wonder about you sometimes, Dad."

Lex could not believe that anyone could take such an obsessive interest in Clark Kent, but his father seemed to do so. It quite vexed him but Lex remained crisp and cool as he eyed his father, not wavering for an instant. There was a tick somewhat developing in his eyes.

"So did you hear from my bride?" Lex asked in a quiet tone of voice.

Lionel offered Lex a look that resembled pity or at least as close to pity that passed through the eyes of Lionel Luthor. "Lex I warned you about her but you chose not to listen to me and now…."

"I'm pretty sure the plane was an accident, in fact, I just wanted to make sure that Helen's okay," Lex commented as his eye twitched a moment as did his hand.

After what he saw on that island, after what he heard, he realized that accidents tended to happen. Hell, he might even be an accident.

"She's perfectly fine Lex but she's double crossed you."

"No, Dad, I trust her about as much as I trust you," Lex remarked as he turned out the window to survey his surroundings. "I understand….everything perfectly, every single second of my life, with picture perfect clarity."

He slammed his palm down onto the desk and a grin crossed his face.

"Just like that it ends."

"Sure Lex, whatever makes you sleep at night," Lionel commented before he made arrangements to get his son looked at closely, there was something about him that was more off than normal.

Lex thought that his father believed that he lost his mind. Lex hadn't lost his mind, far from it; he was much saner than he'd ever been before. Lionel was hiding something and Lex would find out what that was. Then he would gain certain concessions from his father.

* * *

Clark was confused and intrigued by a call that he received earlier that morning. After everything that happened, he thought that there could be a dose of normality in his life. Even if normality was something that was going to be extremely hard to come by within the insanity that was Smallville, as Clark learned constantly.

Lana Lang called him.

Yes, the same Lana Lang that he had an extremely awkward breakup with after a few false starts in their relationship.

Clark was confused and intrigued by a call that he received earlier that morning. After everything that happened, he thought that he could use a dose of normality in his life. Even if normal was something that was extremely hard to come by within the insanity that was Smallville, as Clark learned constantly.

Never say never, regarding whether or not something might happen later; but for now he thought it best that they parted friends. Clark made his way to Chloe's house where Lana was staying. Chloe tagged along due to the account that it was her house and she turned to Clark, a curious expression spreading over her face.

"So, why did Lana want to reconnect now of all times?"

Clark shrugged, there was times where understanding the opposite sex was akin to trying to understand advanced chemistry. All of the melodrama regarding Lana over their high school years had proven that he lacked a certain understanding regarding the fairer sex. Although Kara, Chloe, and Diana had been doing their best to educate him on these matters, he had just begun on that road to understanding.

"I don't like this," Chloe remarked as she closed her eyes. So far there was nothing that seemed out of the ordinary but appearances could be deceptive. Anyone who lived in Smallville knew that better than anyone else. The blonde's hands became shaky but Clark grabbed her and stood her steadily.

"It does seem abrupt that she called me over, but we better figure out what she wants," Clark stated and at his request, Kara and Diana were standing watching although at a safe distance.

It would be better off if Clark and Chloe went inside on their own since Lana knew them best.

Clark sensed something off about the energies in the air and he closed his eyes.

"Chloe be careful."

Chloe spun around and wondered why Clark said that but she said nothing. The two entered the house and Clark edged forward, carefully moving towards what he sensed. There was a sense of uneasiness that resounded through him. He took a deep breath before he yelled up the steps.

"Lana, I'm here!"

"Up here, Clark!" Lana called from upstairs and Clark made his way carefully up the stairs. There was something about this that he didn't like.

Once again, it might have been a sixth sense that he developed but there was goosebumps that appeared on his arms. He focused his eyes towards his destination. Lana's voice was low and sensual as she spoke to him.

"Come in Clark."

Clark did in fact come in and saw Lana lounging back on the bed seductively. She was dressed in some slinky black lingerie that barely covered what needed to be covered on her body, and the way she had positioned herself showed off everything to his eyes. Her eyes burned with a seductive lust as she stared Clark down and there was a second where he wondered what was going on there.

Something was wrong, Clark could sense it.

"So, you wanted to see me um, Lana," Clark stated but he felt the Red Kryptonite flare up for some reason.

Lana shook her head and then she beckoned him over towards the bed. She slinked forwards so she was on her hands and knees allowing him to see even more of her through the lingerie that she wore.

"Oh Clark, I'm fine, I'm absolutely perfect," Lana stated to him in a matter of fact expression, as her silky dark hair framed her face as he tried to push out. "But maybe….you can give me a physical to make sure that I'm completely okay."

Lana shook her head, overcome with the lust and the haze in her mind. She straddled Clark for a few seconds as she ripped his shirt.

"I've been thinking about you for a long time, all I want to do to you, all I want to be done to me by you," Lana remarked with a lustful purr through her eyes. She licked her lips as she ran her hands down Clark's chest and massaged his abs, before running her hands down him.

"Lana are you alright?" Clark asked her and Lana's eyes flashed lustfully.

"Oh Clark, I'm fine, I'm absolutely perfect," Lana stated to him in a matter of fact expression, as her silky dark hair framed her face as he tried to push out. "But maybe….you can give me a physical to make sure that I'm completely okay."

Chloe stepped forward and turned towards Lana. Her eyes turned towards Chloe, flashing a little bit and the blonde sensed an undercurrent of hostility.

"What are you doing here?"

"Me, I live here," Chloe stated blandly as she braced herself for a fight and without warning, Lana sent a bolt of energy from her hand.

"You're going to ruin it!" Lana howled as her eyes flashed with dark energy. There was something that was obvious and that was that Lana was most certainly not herself.

"Okay calm down….calm down there's no need to…."

Kara arrived at super speed and knocked Lana down from behind. She turned to them, before watching them, there was a dopey expression in her eyes that only indicated one thing.

"She's been possessed."

Again, Kara did state the obvious but that was something that needed to be said. The blonde turned over Lana and her eyes flickered open.

"You dare touch me!"

That statement coming out of anyone's mouth, especially after they've been possessed was not good at all. The blonde edged forward, in her attempt to pacify the situation but she was knocked off to the side.

Kara decided the best response to this question was to deck the woman in question that attacked her. A huge punch caused Lana to fly backwards and Diana swooped in before her magic lasso caught Lana in place.

"What are you doing?" Diana asked and Lana's eyes flickered.

This rope compelled her to tell the truth.

"I'm claiming my birthright, and my mate from this usurper," Lana stated as her eyes flared. "I'll get the stones and gain my revenge on the people who burned me at the stake!"

Lana tried to struggle out of the attack before Chloe decided to ask the obvious next question.

"Who are you and what have you done with Lana Lang?"

The woman's eyes twisted into a malicious expression as she stated the next few words. "Your friend is safe, for the moment but don't mess with me."

"Oh, I'm sure that Lana will remain safe, you don't want to harm that vessel that you've co-opted, now do you?" Kara asked as she patted Lana on the top of the head. The woman tried to pull herself out of the ropes but Diana held her in tight.

"We better get her to the cave, if she knows about the stone, your mother should be able to figure it out," Chloe told them and there was a nod of Clark's head.

* * *

"You are correct, Lana has been possessed but the source, I have no idea."

Lana's eyes flickered wide open and a nasty gaze filled through them. They were very un-Lana like in their determination and bitterness. She tried to break her way out of the lasso.

"Why don't we ask her?" Diana remarked as she held Lana's head around. "Who are you?"

Lana's eyes flickered as she struggled, it was almost like she did not want to answer the question but she had no choice to do so. A sneer appeared on her face but she spat out the words never the less. "Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux, practicing witch at your service."

"Ah, I was afraid of this, Lana's been witch napped," Chloe offered as she wanted to slam her head into the walls but she managed to keep herself cool and collected, it would be unwise to lose her mind. "Let her go, Lana…."

"She's merely a means to an end, I do not know how one of my trinkets got into the hands of this triviality but it matters little for I have her underneath my thumb," Isobel stated as there was a moment of Lana' flickering into her sight.

"Let her go, she doesn't deserve this…"

"Oh what does she deserve then, how you pursued her and then ruthlessly tossed her away ilke she was nothing but an inconvenience? " Isobel stated in a taunting motion before her eyes spun around. "Tell me, was that what she meant to do. Did she mean anything to you?"

Kal was angered, he thought that this witch confused the issue and played with his emotions. He for one was not about to allow himself to be taken in by her games. His eyes flashed with anger as they focused on the woman before them.

"Don't turn this around on me now."

Oh but it's all about you isn't it?" Lana or rather Isobel asked as she watched him. "It's all about your needs, what you want. You are pathetic, you pursued her for years, then you strung her along and she followed like a dutiful little puppy dog. There was no question about it, you tried to….you tried to do your best to make her think that you loved her or even cared for her. Then you tossed her away for the first slut that showed you any slight interest, and spread her legs open for you. But then again all that matters to you is what you want, what you need, your a weak pathetic individual Clark Kent unworthy of any respect, unwilling to admit to any of your own misdeeds, and you will never achieve your destiny."

Isobel spun around as Kara wished she could put a muzzle on her. Given that she was a bitch, it was only appropriate.

"It's a spell of transference, I'm nearly certain of it, it's a demented shade of the original and will only fade from Lana when a certain purpose is fulfilled or she is killed," Lara remarked in a fretful voice, although this was a true test of her son's coping abilities, if he was able to make a decision one way or another. The woman's eyes flickered from behind the walls of the caves.

Isobel's laughter grew positively psychotic as she turned around and faced the group. Diana managed to hold her within the lasso and turned it a slight bit but Isobel did not break out.

"Please, you do not have the imagination to do what needs to be done."

Kal thought that she called her bluff and Kara winced as well. It was not like that they could kill Lana, even if it was last ditch resort. Plus knowing someone as twisted as Isobel seemed to be, there was a chance that she offered a failsafe that would possess the next person she could reach. So it would be a never ending process of body jumping and they were licked.

"I don't think….well it doesn't matter," Kara offered with a long sigh as Chloe watched her.

"You better let her go," Chloe turned towards Isobel.

"What are you going to do to make me, child?" Isobel remarked to Chloe as she felt a throbbing motion in the head of the vessel. "Insolent girl, don't you know….don't you know who rules this body."

'_It appears that Lana isn't quite ready to give up dominion of her mind after all,' _Chloe thought but Lara projected a thought into her head which startled Chloe.

'_That's good, hopefully she might break the spell although there is an even greater chance her mind might be destroyed in the process.'_

'_Way to be optimistic, Aunt Lara,' _Kara thought dryly but she watched as Lana's eyes swam with….with frustration.

* * *

Lana's temples began to throb, the pain was unbearable but she had to bear it, she had to focus. Each instant was like a loud thump that echoed through her head and her eyes flickered over. She appeared to be in some kind of theater of the mind and the dark haired woman took in all of her surroundings. There was a loud echo that she spun around in the direction of and clasped her head in her hands.

"Enjoying being a prisoner in your own mind, Lana?" Isobel taunted her in her head.

"Get out, you don't belong here!" Lana fired back but Isobel offered a smile.

"We're the same, there's this darkness that's in all of use, and you try to hide yours behind a smattering of pretty pink purity," Isobel commented in a distasteful tone of voice before she turned her head around. "Do not deny it, you know it is the truth. I won't….I will not deny what is there inside your head."

Lana refused to even answer this woman, this bitch that had taken up some kind of residence in her head. The dark haired woman tried to turn her head towards her.

"You think you understand Clark, well you don't understand much about him, so many secrets kept from you," Isobel remarked in a purely taunting tone of voice. "Do you think….do you understand what I'm talking about? Can you figure out what's on the line, Lana? Tell me Princess, do you feel lucky?"

Lana refused to dignify these remarks with a comment, but her eyes flashed with malice at the thought that she did not understand Clark. Then again, her lack of understanding of Clark caused their relationship not to go out of first gear.

"Lana if you're in there somewhere, fight it!"

"Why should you?" Isobel asked Lana as her eyes flickered. "Should you fight it? To some of them, you're always that scared little girl, crying because the meteor rocks crushed her parents. Why couldn't you be more than that?"

"I don't….I don't know, you're trying to mess with my mind," Lana stammered but she was flustered.

"Not much to mess with, sweetie," Isobel fired back as she patted Lana on the head like she was a dog. Lana grimaced as she wondered what was going on and she felt more and more of herself being lost to it. "Why don't you just sit back? I'll even take good care of Clark, given that you weren't able to keep his attention long enough. He does desire this body but he does desire many other bodies. A man that powerful….he deserves all of the women that he can grab onto."

Lana's expression moved to one of pure simmering hatred as Isobel waved her hand as if she waved the keys of the mind out of her head.

"They know where my birthright is, and I'm going to get them," Isobel stated as she taunted them. "Maybe if you'll lucky, you get to watch me keep Clark and the rest of them as pets, just like I'd keep you as a pet, if I didn't need control of this body."

* * *

"Okay…okay….she's….I think I got it," Lana breathed as she collapsed to the ground.

Diana held the lasso, there was a moment of indecision as she wondered what to do. Her arm slacked and she turned around but the voice of Lara whispered in her ear.

'_Trust me, everything's going to be alright, let her go,' _Lara managed so softly that only Diana, Kara, Chloe, and Kal could hear her.

'_Are you certain?' _Diana thought to her through the mental link and there was a sound that indicated that Lara was sure.

"Don't worry, I'm fine, I managed to trap her….I think that I'll be fine," Lana stated as she nearly slumped onto the ground. "Or I'll be fine if I find a doctor."

Kal did wonder if his mother knew what she was doing but there was something still about Lana that was very off.

"Are you…."

"Let's let her go, give her some space to breath," Chloe stated as she stepped back in case she was wrong. There was the sound of a rather frantic and irregular heartbeat coming from Lana that she was sure was not normal at all, not in the slightest.

Lana was let go and her eyes flashed towards them before she turned her hand and blasted Clark against the wall.

Kara rushed Lana but Lana put up a shield to block her attack. The blonde pushed back her attack and Lana using telekinesis lifted her into the air before slamming her incredibly hard onto the ground. The blonde rolled over and clutched her back.

'_That witch bitch, don't care about Lana's body, I'm taking her out,' _Kara thought as her eyes flared.

'_No, Kara, allow her to beat you, that goes for all of you,' _Lara projected to them all and Kra's eyes widened as she wondered if her aunt had taken complete leave of her sanity.

'_Are….are you sure?' _Chloe asked, wondering the same thing that Kara asked and she threw herself on the ground as she acted like she got hit by a spell.

"Where are they?"

"The stones aren't here," Lara remarked as she saw Isobel standing over Clark, Kara, Diana, and Chloe, all of them down on the ground, although all of them could get up if needed.

Isobel's eyes flashed with crazed madness and she spun around, wondering who was telling her this.

"You lie," Isobel stated in an angry voice.

"I do not," Lara commented back as if was no care in the world. "The stones are something that Kal-El is searching for as well but they have fallen into the hands of Lionel Luthor."

"Lionel Luthor," Isobel muttered, remembering the name from Lana's memories. "Yes, of course, well it's time to pay him a little visit to convince him to hand over what is mine."

Isobel flashed off and Lara tried to hide her amusement. Anyone who assumed that Jor-El was the brains of their marriage might be in for a few surprises.

"We better keep an eye on her," Kal stated as he struggled to get to his feet.

**To Be Continued in Part Two. **


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Ghost Part Two

**Chapter Fifteen "Ghost in the Machine Part Two."**

Lionel Luthor pondered his lot in life, his expression flickering with malicious intent but there was a whoosh outside the door that brought him out of his thoughts. There was a certain amount of caution that was practically bred into someone like him and he tried to get up to his feet but there were a pair of hands that slammed down on his wrists, pinning him down with a surprising amount of strength.

Especially given who the hands belonged to and Lionel struggled in his attempt to push himself free. The dark haired girl looked towards Lionel with blazing fury and she eyed him with her most dangerous gaze. Lionel struggled to get his gaze towards her as he saw Lana Lang hold him against the desk and there was a few seconds before he found his voice, trying to keep the fact he was shaken out of it.

"What's the….what's the meaning of this, Ms. Lang?" Lionel asked her as he tried to push himself up onto the desk but she slammed him down against the chair. There was some force that bound him to the chair.

Lionel was not used to weirdness although he heard reports of everything that went down Smallville.

"You thought I would be your pawn, didn't you?" Isobel asked as she ran her hand down Lionel's cheek for a moment and then, without warning, she slapped him in the face with enough force that it caused his face to sting. "Why don't you answer me, you worm?"

Lana's eyes flashed with malice as she kept her burning gaze on the face of Lionel who once again tried to struggle his way out of his containment. It was hard for him to figure out a way out as he was trapped and he decided to spit out the next statement.

"Are you well Miss Lang…all of that hard work trying to run…what was it again, oh yes, the Talon, that sink hole of my son's. I'm afraid all of that hard work might have addled your brain."

Isobel's eyes flashed for a second in malice but only for a second as her grip tightened around Lionel's throat, preparing to squeeze around his jugular. She only retracted after a brief instance and pushed back against him.

"Do you think I'm impaired?" Isobel asked calmly as she made sure Lionel was secured. His eyes flickered towards the button underneath his desk and he spun to face her. "I'm sure you want to call them, don't you?"

Lionel shifted as he wondered if this woman had taken complete and utter leave of all of her senses. His arms slumped off to the side as he tried to push himself back to his feet.

"Here, have some coffee, Lionel, we are friends," Isobel stated as she held the coffee cup up and for a brief wild second, Lionel thought that she was going spill it on her crotch. Surprisingly, she did not. "You trust me enough to do your dirty work, to get the other two stones?"

Lionel once again played innocent even though the witch did not buy the act for a second. "The other two stones I'm afraid…."

Isobel caused the ground beneath her to shake and faced Lionel, her eyes flashing.

"Do not play games with me, Lionel," Isobel breathed out violently as her fingers longed to wrap themselves around his throat but she stopped herself before she did the deed. "You arranged to send the amulet that caused me to possess my distant ancestor."

"Miss Lang, you should see a doctor…."

"And you should see a mortician," Isobel remarked dryly as she teased throwing Lionel outside of the window in his chair where she would make him fall to his doom.

Lionel's heart started up and his heart beat faster yet. He was completely terrified out of his mind.

"Cooperation is key to your survival, Lionel," Isobel remarked in a faux sweet tone of voice. "I want you to beg for me, beg for mercy, and I might grant it, I might not."

"I'll never beg," Lionel managed, his voice was full of firmness and pride.

He had gotten the Teagues involved and they never did something halfway. He realized how close he would be from suffering a grisly demise. He would not have to worry about the liver disease killing him because a fall from the window would do the job quite nicely. The malice that dripped from this girl's voice and flickered through her eyes was prolific.

"Do you think that I'm going to allow you to live after all you've done?" Isobel asked as she once again placed a hand up to Lionel's face and her nail scratched down the side of his face. "I'm going to ask you once more and it's going to be asked nicely. I'm not going to ask you again."

"Don't…you're a psychotic b…."

Isobel slapped Lionel hard in the face once again and blood splashed from his lips as she cut her nail against his lip.

"I won't ask you again, next time I'll force the information, and it will be done from your treacherous tongue," Isobel offered as she placed her hand on Lionel's head and tilted his head up to look him straight in the eyes. She ignored the grimace of pain that went through his face. "Tell me you miserable whelp of a man. Tell me."

She blinked before she added, very nearly as an afterthought. "Tell me if you don't want to suffer."

Her nails raked down the side of his neck once more and Lionel felt unbearable pain flicker through him. There was an instant where her eyes burned with the utter rage and intensity that one would expect from someone like her before Isobel, Lana, whoever, both of them looked angry.

"You have one last warning, I'd suggest you don't try my patience, Luthor," Isobel stated in a heated tone of voice as the door locked itself. "No one could get in there, but why would they want you? You have no friends, your son is counting down the days where you croak so he could collect his inheritance. Not that Lex is much better, the poisoned apple doesn't fall far from the rotting tree."

Isobel's eyes flashed and she had numerous ways of making diseased pieces of filth like this talk. She would have the stone, there was no two ways about it. The dark haired witch placed her hands on her face and paused as she considered any number of nasty things she could do to this diseased slab of flesh.

* * *

"I don't know if your mother was thinking straight when she sent….well it's still technically Lana, isn't it?" Chloe asked as she walked up towards the front gate towards Lionel Luthor's office.

"Yes and no," Diana offered Chloe with a shrug and Chloe's eyes flashed with confusion before the Amazon princess elaborated. "Magical possession is a really tricky situation to deal with. The person that you see looking back at you, well she's technically Lana but at the same time, she's technically not Lana, it's one of those situations that's kind of hit and miss."

Clark offered his two cents to both of them. "I see flickers of her trying to fight out."

Diana nodded. "Free will is an extraordinary thing, so she could be fighting it."

Kara enhanced her hearing and heard the super fast heartbeat. There was something going on and it wasn't going to be something that was pleasant for one Lionel Luthor.

"And it sounds like Lionel's getting to know Isobel up close and personal," Kara remarked as she heard the footsteps of approaching guards but she was not the only one that heard them.

"I'll distract them, you see if you can get the stone before either Lionel or Isobel know what's happening," Clark whispered to Kara and the blonde nodded.

She appreciated her cousin for showing so much trust in her, she was not about to let him down. The blonde tightened her eyes shut and she kicked up into the air, gaining momentum and acceleration as she was just outside the window. The blonde alien teenager stopped and hovered once she reached it.

Kara placed her hands on the edge of the window pane but had to retract them almost immediately. There was a searing sensation that went through her hands and that was not pleasant at all. The blonde shifted herself away from the window. Rubbing her palms together, she had to go into this situation smartly and not get tripped up by plans that would not work.

The blonde's eyes flickered shut and she saw it, her heart beat even more steadily as she saw what was taking place on the other side of the window. Lionel was in agony and Kara could not really say that she felt all that sorry for the man. The blonde felt the need to focus and she tapped her fingers on the edge of the window.

Concentrate, she had to concentrate.

It was now or never, the blonde edged herself inside as the window disappeared.

Isobel sent a blast of light at her but Kara ducked underneath the binding spell at super speed.

"Sorry, but you're going to have to do better than that Countess," Kara stated, knocking out Lionel Luthor so he could not put a face to her voice. The blonde smiled, now having the proper one on one time with Isobel.

Isobel sent a blast of light towards Kara but this time Kara blocked the attack with a shield of her own.

"Wait, you can do magic as well?" Isobel asked, this completely threw the woman off guard and Kara's lips curled into a smile.

"Most people have the potential but it's a matter of having the aptitude or not," Kara offered with a shrug as she turned around and dodged another attack.

It was a blinding flare and something that might have been able to take her out in the next swift motion. The blonde kept her eyes on the ball.

"You should join me," Isobel offered Kara before a smile crossed her face, it was quite the devilish one but never the less it was a smile.

'_Oh boy here we go,' _Kara thought, she knew this spiel was coming. It was likely a front to play with her head and the blonde was not going for it. She saw enough Earth television to know how this particular mess panned out.

Isobel's face contorted into a lovely little smile before she watched Kara and nodded. "Yes, join me; think of what we could accomplish together."

There was a sense that she tried to get Kara to look in her the eyes to put her underneath some type of enchantment or some kind of thrall. The blonde was not about to go for that, she kept her eyes opened wide and kept her mind rather clear despite the slight tug that she felt. The blonde folded her arms and faced the woman before her.

"I don't think so," Kara remarked as she sent a blast of light towards Isobel but she blocked it.

There was a belief that Kryptonians were vulnerable magical assaults which wasn't necessarily true. Okay, it was true in the sense in that they were not invulnerable when faced when magic but they were not even more vulnerable, not in the slightest. That was a common misconception that Kara wanted to scream about.

After all, wouldn't magic users also be technically vulnerable to magic? Given that magic harmed other magical users, otherwise duels would be overly powered light shows. That in mind, Kara had to duck the ice spikes that Isobel sent at her.

Kara saw it, a moment of indecision where Isobel tried to fight the Lana side of her to get things done. That was a moment of indecision that Kara could use to her advantage. The blonde analyzed every angle of the attack and prepared to fire a counter measure.

"We could have been great together but you didn't have the imagination to join up with…with me!"

Isobel's words shook and Kara dodged behind Lana's body and pulled her arms back. She restrained her, trying to find a point to safely knock her out. There was a loud crash as Kara was sent flying backwards.

The blonde rolled over on the ground and Isobel caused her to be bound by magic, paralyzed by the attack. Her laughter grew positively wicked, escalating into a cackle.

"You're just feeding into every witch stereotype ever, aren't you?" Kara asked, it appeared that these things varied little across the universe.

"You will be silent when you address me, as your new ruler," Isobel stated as she placed her hand on Kara's hair and stroked it. Kara tried to struggle out. "Those stones, I've laid dormant for hundreds of years, and some little blonde alien snot won't keep me from my birthright."

"You talk big when you have me bound," Kara fired back with a dangerous flicker through her eyes. "Why don't you back up you psychotic bitch?"

Isobel's eyes flickered, sadness filling them for an instant before she snapped up with anger.

"Can't do it, can you?" Kara taunted her. "The wicked witch of the Midwest is all talk and no action."

Kara really thought that all of the Earth television corrupted her but if she could break the bindings and snatch the amulet, the highly shielded and obsessively protected amulet, she might have a chance. The blonde saw a moment of indecision and her control falter.

"We don't have to do this," Isobel whispered as she watched her. "Kara, we're more alike that you can know and we can both have Clark, the three of us, we can be mightier than anyone."

Kara could not believe the words that were coming from this woman's mouth. And she could sense a flicker of Lana's thoughts coming in.

'_I apologize for what I'm about to do Lana, but she was asking for it,' _Kara remarked to herself in her mind, almost hoping that Lana mentally heard her somewhere.

She was sure that the woman would understand, especially if Kara could free her from this thrall.

Kara broke free from the bindings and she threw her leg back before she waffled Lana directly in the face with a kick.

The impact was sickening but Kara knew that she only had a few seconds to grab the amulet.

There was a loud explosion and Kara went flying backwards.

The blonde took a few seconds to catch her bearings but there was one thing that was for certain. Her eyes snapped open wide and there was no Lionel.

'_Kara, you can come back, we have the second stone, we replaced it with a fake,' _Chloe though through the mental connection that Lara helped set up so they could more easily communicate.

Kara smiled; she was glad that something came out of this entire mess right.

There was a scream as it appeared that Lana was in trouble.

'_Stay there Kara, make sure Lionel doesn't try anything underhanded, I'll get Lana.'_

* * *

Clark was walking into this situation rather carefully because he knew deep down that if he didn't be careful, he could be walking into a trap. The young man watched every single movement that was going on around him and he could see her down on the ground, surrounded by Luthorcorp security.

Did Lana's witchy visitor leave the building?

There was one way to be certain and that was step over towards her to find out. Clark kept to the shadows. He knew that Chloe already sprinted the stone back to the cave, just in case. The fake was in place, that Karen had given them before they left to Luthorcorp. Everything was planned to the letter.

Lana was on the one cog in the wheel that was not planned for any reason whatsoever but Clark thought that he could work around that. He stepped forward and analyzed the energies around her.

There was something distinctly off about them, even more so than ever. Perhaps he was being paranoid but it was time for him to step forward and take this carefully as opposed to running into the battle with both guns blazing. It might not be the Clark Kent thing to do but it was the smart thing to do.

The security guards dropped to the ground like ninepins as Clark took them out. The nerve pinches dropped them and caused their eyes to roll into the back of their heads.

"Oh Clark thank God, I don't know what happened," Lana breathed in a frantic tone of voice but Clark watched her, not keeping his eyes off of her for a second in case she had a relapse.

"Do you remember anything that happened?" Clark asked her but Lana responded as she shook her head.

"No I don't remember anything that happened," Lana offered but her eyes looked bloodshot. "Clark….I need you….I need you to do something to me if she comes back."

"I thought you said you didn't remember anything," Clark fired back in an accusatory voice but Lana dropped to the ground shaking.

His first instinct was to touch her but then Clark remembered that might not be the best idea in the world. Given the dark magical energies that swirled around Lana, he might be barking up the wrong tree completely but he reached down, about to touch her.

He then retracted his hand, when he realized it. Lana's eyes flickered open and Clark was nearly blasted.

Nearly for he dodged out of the way and Isobel's fury was something that could not be matched by mortal means as several high impact blasts of magical energy hurled through the air to try and clip Clark's knees out from underneath him. He once again was on the defensive, dodging, ducking, and running to avoid them.

He grabbed Isobel around the waist; this was only the second uppity dark witch that he fought in the past few weeks. Although this one was fairly dangerous as well, not that Circe was not dangerous but Isobel's eyes flickered with discontent.

"Where's the stone?" Isobel demanded as Kal grabbed her, restraining her forcefully and he pinned her to the ground.

"You're not going to use them," Kal stated as he kept her shoulders pinned against the ground and she struggled against him, fury burning through her eyes.

"You better let me go or else."

Kal called her bluff. "Or else what?"

Isobel's eyes flickered for a second but she decided to leave him there, this was a waste of time, the stone was not at this facility. She waved her hand and he dropped to the ground like a stone. There was a thump as he landed.

Lana was gone but Kal needed to find his way back to the cave.

* * *

"This location is becoming an area where it's no longer safe to meet here," Lara stated in a fretful tone of voice as she met with Chloe, Kara, Diana, and Kal at the cave. "She knows that we are here and once she finds out that we have both of the stones, she's going to come after us."

That was a statement that was grim but nevertheless an extremely accurate one, in fact Kal did not doubt that Lana would make her way here before too long. He had to be ready for her or rather the witch that possessed her.

"It's that amulet, if we can trick her into taking it off, we could have a chance," Kal offered them but Kara smiled.

"She's a lot smarter than she looks," Kara remarked as she placed a hand on her chin. "And if I had to guess, she could be right behind us at any time."

"Is there any way to break the spell?" Kal asked, almost pleading and Kara placed a hand on his.

"Kal, if there was a way, we would have done so by now, trust me, we would have," Kara offered him as she bit down on her lip. She nearly left an imprint in her lip as she pondered, a pained grimace crossing her face as she racked her brain for anything. "But there's no way to do so, without…the ultimate sacrifice."

Chloe looked at Diana, Kara gazed at Chloe, and Kal looked at Kara, they knew that they could not do it. The four sets of eyes locked onto each other and the utter hopelessness of the situation.

"So call me crazy," Chloe stated but Kara cut her off.

"Always an auspicious beginning," Kara remarked but there was a second where she paused and waved towards Chloe, offering for her to continue.

"Okay, call me crazy, but I don't think there's any way that Isobel is going to really hurt us," Chloe offered but she paused, her hearing enhanced.

'_And there's someone outside the cave now,' _Chloe remarked to the group mentally and they all stood prepared.

'_Now is the moment of truth for you all,' _Lara thought back to them.

There was an explosion as Isobel appeared next to them in a cloud of smoke. Her eyes flashed, the tracking spell she performed to locate the stones was something that lead her right here. The woman's face contorted with a joyous expression as she watched them.

"You thought you could hide them from me."

Isobel lifted a hand and she aimed an attack towards Clark but he dodged it.

"You're going to tell me where the stones are or you'll see your free will disappear when I turn you into mindless drones," Isobel stated in her most dangerous tone of voice.

Her eyes flickered with pure malice once more and Kara's head slowly turned towards the woman as a smile crossed her face.

"Do you really want to chance the fact that something could go wrong?" she asked, her eyes flashing with amusement at the thought this woman thought that there was even the most remote possibility that enslavement could occur.

"I will have you buried underneath my thumb like you should be," Isobel stated as she closed the distance between them.

Deep within the mind of Lana Lang, the small parts of Lana was altering. She did not know half of what was going on, other than some undead whore had hijacked her body and was obsessed with some powerful stones, along with Clark's stones. Now was not the time to bemoan the fact that she was being trapped in her own mind, while Clark and Chloe were being attacked.

Now was the time for action and Lana felt her fingers twitch.

"Don't even fight it, you've already lost," Isobel whispered as she looked at Lana's hands as she stalked her enemies.

Kara released herself from the binding spells and Clark was quick to be released as well. The two of them exchanged a look that pretty much communicated without words. They shifted around from one side to the next before they tried to push themselves up but they sunk down to the ground.

"I don't….don't you dare try and fight, don't you know that this is a hopeless venture," Isobel whispered to herself or rather to her captive person in her mind.

"Yeah, but so is you trying to pursue stones, let's face it, you've lost out on two of them, and I'm sure Clark can beat you to the third too," Lana managed as her face curled into a smile. "You can't hurt me, because that would mean you hurt yourself."

Isobel's face twisted into a grimace as she had the point. "Do not tempt me."

Lana retorted back into her mind. "Yeah, you've been gotten to."

"Do not think that you're capable of this darkness, you would not have put on that amulet if a part of you did not subconsciously lust for power," Isobel commented as she ran her hands through Lana's hair.

Kara triangulated the angle she needed to attack, as did Clark, Diana, and Chloe. The four of them would have to work together in unison for this to being close to work out.

"Well, at least I don't lust over rocks, do you even remember why you want them or are you just obsessed with them because someone else has them?' Lana asked Isobel back and her voice switched once again.

"Do not…"

Kara shot in like a cork and grabbed her from the front, Chloe got her from the top, Clark got her from the back, and Diana got her from the bottom. It was a concerted effort, all four of them, to grab for the amulet.

Isobel was tough as nails and not willing to go down without a fight. Her eyes flickered with fury as there was a flash. She locked onto Clark, in an attempt to bind him to her as her slave forever. He would be nothing but an empty headed doll to serve her every whim.

The spell was tricky to pull off even in the best of times and given what happened now, Isobel was completely out off of her mind. The witch's eyes flashed with fury as she tried to fight off her attackers.

Lana's interference did not help with anything as there was a flash of light.

Her consciousness was locked and then merged with Isobel. It was not a happy existence, but it was better than the alternative.

Isobel on the other hand was bound as a slave to the first person that she touched.

Which happened to be Chloe, and then the witch collapsed to the ground, blacking out.

* * *

Lionel thought about what happened and realized that things could have gone a lot better. The very logical truth of the matter was that the stone was still there in his possession and that's all that mattered to him. He thought that these stones might be the key to preserving his power.

Yet there was something within him that was not convinced that everything was going to pan out as planned. The billionaire thought that paranoia was not something that suited him but it was not about him being paranoid. It was him being extremely careful. The billionaire walked around, seeing half of the hallways trashed.

"I heard what happened."

Lex stood there with a smile crossing his face, although it was an extremely faint one. Lionel could almost tell that Lex got off on the fact that he was suffering some kind of pain and misery.

The elder Luthor cleared his throat. "Okay, Lex, laugh it up, laugh it up, you know you're not going to let me get away with this one."

"What is there for you to get away with Dad, seems to me that your humiliation was something that was there for the entire world to see?" Lex asked as he stared him down. He wanted to clarify a rumor that he heard. "Are you trying to say that Lana Lang attacked you?"

Lionel did not say anything although the flickering anger in his eyes more than told the story.

Lex on the other hand was getting a kick out of his father's discomfort. "Sweet Lana Lang, who wears pink and is rather polite, who wouldn't hurt a fly, that Lana Lang?"

"Yes, Lex, she did attack me but you must understand that there were circumstances that prompted the attack," Lionel offered, grimacing at the thought that he got shown up by Lana Lang of all people.

Yet there was something in her eyes, a moment of indecision, if she really wanted to kill Lionel he'd be dead.

"I think you've been working too hard, mind's slipping, maybe making people disappear is starting to catch up with you," Lex offered in a smug tone as he locked his eyes on Lionel's before he gave his father a mocking clap on the shoulder. "I'd be careful with that if I was you."

There was something about Lex's tone that was so condescending that it caused Lionel to become extremely agitated but there was also a certain tone in his voice that made Lionel wonder. Lex had not quite learned how to be that subtle. Sure he could fool a fool but he could not fool Lionel Luthor. That type of trickery and his lack of subtlety proved to be a liability around him.

"Don't worry about me, son," Lionel commented briskly. "I've survived far worse storms."

Lex raised an eyebrow before a smile spread over his face. "I'm sure you have."

There was a moment of tension between the two Luthors, the chess match went on between the two of them. In the figurative sense of the world at least. Both of them were locked into deadlock and neither backed down for the other.

"Yes, is there a point of you being here or are you just trying to rub salt upon my wounds?" Lionel asked and Lex's eyes flickered up, before a smile crossed his face.

"A guilty conscience does not become you, Dad," Lex fired back and Lionel's eyes closed, there was so much that he'd like to say but there was so much that he refused to say at the same time.

Lionel did not say much of anything once again as he assessed the damage of his office.

There was one thing that burned through his mind that gave him clarity. The stone was still safe and there was far less things that mattered than that.

* * *

"So what about Lana now?" Clark asked as he stood in a field with Chloe, Kara, and Diana.

Kara was the one that brought the grim bit of news up for him. "I don't think….well it was her decision to do what she did."

"Is there any way to reverse it?" Chloe asked, not knowing how she felt about Lana being bound for her for the rest of her life.

Kara turned herself around, more to look away from Chloe than anything. There was a little bit here and there about sorcery that she knew but there were a lot of things that she did not know and what Isobel tried to do to Clark was one of them. Binding spells were imprecise and there were too many variables.

"Lana blocked it and offered herself as well, but she inadvertently altered it to bind herself to Isobel and Isobel inadvertently bound herself to someone," Kara explained as she placed her fingers in her blonde hair and stroked it back with a bit of a poignant sigh. "I don't know, but if I had to hazard a guess, it might not end well for either of them if you try and break the charm from her."

Kara placed her arms around Clark and sighed as Diana remarked.

"Magic like that is dangerous and people have had themselves bound as slaves," Diana remarked as she watched Chloe. "She'll be fiercely loyal to you."

"Wonderful," Chloe said as she threw her head back and placed her hands on the back of her head.

Clark wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tight to his embrace.

"It's going to work out for the better…give it time, this might be something that works out for the better," Clark told Chloe as he dipped her and pressed his lips onto hers with a reassuring kiss. Chloe returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around Clark's waist.

She relaxed into it and Kara spun in, before hugging her tightly as well and kissed the back of her neck. Chloe was sandwiched between two fairly attractive Kryptonians and was perfectly okay with that.

"You know, there's no one around for miles," Kara offered with a bright and mischievous smile crossing her face.

Chloe's eyebrow raised but Kara spun her around and gave her a deep kiss. The smaller blonde returned it as Kara's hands roamed her body, exploring every inch of her.

Diana grabbed Clark and pulled his body into hers.

"While those two are occupied, maybe we should have some fun," Diana remarked as she pushed Clark down and fished her hand into his pants.

"Sounds like…ah a plan."

**Lemon Scene Begins.**

-PROFILE-

**Smut/Lemon Ends. **

**To Be Continued in the Next Chapter. **


	17. Chapter 16: Homestretch

**Chapter Sixteen "The Homestretch."**

Inside the caves, Clark reflected over the events of the last few days, it was something that was amazing but also equally frustrating. Yet, it was something that he was sure would build character for him in the long run. He rubbed his temples then placed his hand on the side of his head.

A cool wind, at least for the summer time, blew around outside. Lionel's men left for the day; apparently they were sick of guarding the cave. Lara made it so they would see nothing when Kara, Clark, or any the others were present. There was one statement that came out of his mouth.

"We have two of them, all we need to do is find the third one."

Clark's expression fell as Kara patted him on the elbow in a reassuring manner.

"Don't worry, you'll find it," Kara remarked in a crisp tone of voice before she placed her hands onto her forehead and threw her head back with a slight sigh. "It will be the hardest to find but you'll find it."

That much was a statement that could be taken to the bank. The blonde sat down in the cave and Clark copied her movements.

"Jor-El could not make anything easy, but in some ways, I may concede that it builds character," Lara remarked to him before she added as an afterthought. "And I also must concede that he's taken things a step too far."

Kara's face turned into a smile. "Isn't that the truth?"

The blonde sighed deeply; while she wished that things would actually work out to be a lot simpler then they had been. Her aunt was right; such things did build character, no matter how frustrating that was.

"Let's look on the bright side, two stones down, two less that we have to find," Clark stated in an optimistic tone of voice.

He sat down on the rocks on the cave and tilted his head back. The Last Son of Krypton focused on the stones, if he could memorize their energy signature, he might be able to lock onto that third and final stone. He caused his mind to focus on everything around him.

Kara slid onto his lap, although other than that movement, she remained silent and still. She had a good idea what her cousin was doing and welcomed it. Clark's arms tightened around her.

'_Got to find them,' _Kal thought to himself, trying to find a balance between the two sides because that might be the best way to find the remaining stone.

No matter how hard he tried to focus, there was some kind of mental block keeping him from finding the stone. There was something that blocked his ability to focus and the Last Son of Krypton felt frustration burst into his mind. The blonde on his lap twisted slightly so she could look into his eyes and saw the look of discontent flashing through them.

"Nothing?" Kara asked in a quiet voice and Kal shook his head.

"Nothing," Kal confirmed to her and the blonde watched him with a sigh.

That nothing was something that came out of Kal's mouth, as he tried to piece together why he was feeling so frustrated. Yet, that was the fate of the Last Son of Krypton, he was unable to get everything done that he wished to get done. He turn his head to focus on Kara.

She shifted her position and straddled his lap. A gentle tone came out of her mouth.

"Think about it, it will come to you," Kara told him in an encouraging tone of voice.

"It will come," Kal agreed as he watched her with a smile.

The problem with that was these things always sounded a whole lot easier in his head then it did on paper. There were a few instances where he thought that he could have won the day if he applied himself.

Lara broke his brief musings with a question.

"So are you coming along with your powers?"

"Everything but flight is working fine," Clark offered in an appraising voice. "Kara keeps having to hold me up with her powers."

"Am I now?" Kara asked in a mysterious voice, the truth was, she still was, but Kal did maintain some kind of floating for a little bit more each time on his own. When she sensed his body starting to fall, she reapplied the powers.

Kal was frustrated by the word games. "I don't know, are you?"

"Guess you're going to have to figure that out yourself," Kara interjected with a bright smile crossing her face as she reached over and tightened her grip around Kal's hand.

It was all about building up a certain amount of confidence in him, confidence that would be needed. If she had been there from the beginning, Kara was adamant that said confidence would have been there from the onset. Yet she was not there from the onset so she had to make do with what she had to do.

There was a long way to go before Kal reached a point where he could walk that tightrope between a human side and a Kryptonian side, between Clark Kent and Kal-El. It was something that was interesting. Although Kara suspected that many humans struggled to find a balance between several sides of themselves and they did not have one bit of powers to them.

Once he found that balance, he would be closer to mastering his powers than one would ever believe.

"So Diana's doing the work that her mother sent her here for, so she'll be back all too soon," Kal summarized and Kara turned towards him. "And I've got a meeting with Karen today, she wants to talk to me about something."

"Talk, is that what we're calling it now?" Kara asked with an impish grin. "Because she was doing that, I want him to hold me down and fuck me until I can't walk thing."

"Kara," Kal stated in a reproachful voice.

"Well it's true," Kara remarked as Kal just smiled at her.

"You know I might have to tie you up and spank you later if you keep getting out of line," Kal told her and Kara raised her eyebrows.

"Is that a promise now?" she asked him.

"Just watch," Kal told her and Kara smiled back at him, before she wrapped her arms tightly around him and pulled him into a long, passionate kiss.

"See you later than," Kara breathed with a smile crossing her face.

"Yes, you most certainly will," Kal offered her as Kara bent over, the black skirt she was wearing riding up to show him her thong panties.

He slapped her on the ass before he sped off and met Karen.

* * *

Karen sat at her office desk, granted she always had a lot to do, so she didn't spend most of the time making paper airplanes. Doctor Swann's health….well it was very much touch and go at this point. He didn't spend much time in the public eye and had been a recluse for so long that his behavior would be considered normal.

No one would know that he was sick until he was dead. Granted that was something that Karen preferred not to think about but a man like that was eventually going to exert himself. Even when confined to a wheelchair, Swann was hard at work over something.

"So any news on him?" Karen asked as Patricia turned up.

She smiled. "Well he has his days where he's locked in his office. He doesn't want to be disturbed. He's still mulling over transmissions that he's received. Almost as if he's trying to decode something that he missed the first time around."

"Jor-El really pumped up his son's arrival, you know," Karen offered Patricia and she nodded in agreement. "Then again, who knows what he was up to?"

"My father doesn't know, there are a lot of vague and mysterious echoes in those transmission, words that none of us can truly decipher," Patricia offered with a shrug of her shoulders. There was a lot she wanted to know but much she could not figure out as well.

She was not overly obsessed with it as her father seemed to be on certain days but never the less she was interested.

The intercom on Karen's desk buzzed to life.

"Yes," Karen stated as she tapped on the intercom.

"Clark Kent is here to see you," the voice on the other end of the intercom said.

Her voice brightened up for a second, but she resumed a professional tone halfway through the response. "Well send him in."

Karen's face contorted into a wide grin and the blonde could hardly believe that he was here. The door opened and seconds later, Clark walked inside her office.

Karen was quick to step forward and pull him into a tight hug, her breasts pressing against his chest as she embraced him.

"Clark, nice to see you," Karen stated, but once again, being in close proximity to him had caused certain feelings to stir deep within her. The blonde shook her head.

'_Keep focused, remain professional, plenty of time for that later."_

Karen turned her head around.

"Luthor doesn't suspect a thing after you switched out the stone, does he?" Karen asked him and Clark shook his head in response.

"It worked like a charm," Clark offered her and Karen smiled before she placed a hand on his knee.

"I'm sure it did," Karen remarked with a smile crossing her face before she shifted over and offered him a seat.

Clark took the seat graciously.

"So, two stones, but is there any idea where the third might be?" Karen asked Clark and he shook his head in response. The blonde's face flickered into a frown. "Yeah, I was kind of afraid of that."

Clark reached over and clasped her hand tightly, which she was surprised about his forward actions.

"We're searching," Clark offered her but he got to his feet. "I think that there's something that you have to tell me."

"What?" Karen asked, gasping but his eyes locked into hers. There was something like there was a burning sensation without her loins and an itch that needed to be scratched.

Patricia watched them curiously but she felt a little bit light headed as well. It was almost like she was not even in the room. She tried not to be rude but at the same time, it was hard to really ignore the situation that was going on around her.

The two of them were lost in each others eyes for a second so she cleared her throat.

"Oh, it seems like I might have been a little rude," Karen offered before her head inclined towards the woman standing in the shadows. "Patricia Swann, this is Clark Kent….Clark Kent…"

"I know, I know," Patricia stated, for a genius, there were times that Karen could be a little scatter brained, showing that she was in fact a natural blonde.

"Ah, Doctor Swann's daughter, it's a pleasure to meet you," Clark responded with a smile crossing his face as he looked in her eyes.

Patricia flushed a little bit but she remained rather rigid. The red head woman turned her head towards him and there was a flushing sensation that went through her cheeks but she remained calm.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you as well," Patricia said, trying not to get too flustered with him being there.

Even though she caught herself sneaking looks at him.

Karen smiled but she sat down. "The three stones are some of the most valuable and dangerous technology in the world. Jor-El was only right in the sense that you needed to connect them together, but his methods lacked something."

Then again, Karen was far from the president of the Jor-El fan club. The blonde's eyes widened for a few seconds as she thought about it.

"I'm having people try and track down the third stone," Karen continued and Clark raised an eyebrow. "These people I would trust with my life."

"But why would I trust you with mine?" Clark asked her.

Karen smiled, that was a fair question.

"Well, there's something that I have to tell you, you're not going to believe this," Karen remarked to him.

Clark's face contorted into a smile for a second. "You'd be surprised with what I'm capable of believing."

"Fair enough," Karen agreed before she threw her head off to the side and decided to drop the bombshell on him. "I'm Kara Zor-El from an alternate dimension, only older."

The wig, glasses, and contact was taken off. Sure her hair was a bit shorter and there were certain parts of her body that were more developed, but Clark believed it.

"How?" Clark asked.

"Do you want the long story or the short story?" Karen asked with a grin that she could barely be able to suppress. "The fact of the matter is that I escaped from a bad dimension, landed here a couple of years ago. I didn't have a chance to look you up until now, getting settled into a new world."

Patricia smiled, at first she was disbelieving of this but then she realized that Karen was telling the truth.

There was much more to tell but that would be told later.

* * *

Isobel's eyes flickered open, well technically it was Lana's eyes, but Isobel was still somewhat present. She looked up and saw Chloe sitting at the side of the bed.

The witch wondered how her plan could have gone so off the rails. She had him underneath her thumb, she was going to bind Kal-El, Clark Kent, whoever he was to her forever. Lana fused with her in the theater of the mind and it caused her normally dominant personality to become much more docile. She was much like an obedient dog.

Chloe sat next to her.

"So, I'm not quite sure what happened," Chloe offered as she slowly broke the silence that formed in the room between them.

The woman's mouth snapped open before she offered one statement that was simple, sweet, and to the point. "I am sorry if I displeased you in any way, Mistress."

Isobel's eyes flickered before she threw her head back in confusion.

'_Mistress, where did that come from?' _she thought to herself, truthfully she was not herself, at least not any more.

Lana might be only a few fragments, but she got some kind of twisted amusement binding the witch who bound her to someone who was a normal. Granted, the more she thought about it, Chloe was far from normal. Chloe was very much extraordinary and Lana had to admit that to the rest of the world.

"Okay, this is not what I used to dealing with," Chloe remarked before she took in a deep breath. She wanted to see how submissive she was now. "Is Lana in there?"

"In a sense mistress, she has caused my personality to warp towards being submissive towards you and anyone you choose for me to be," Isobel stated, her natural instincts yearning to be the dominant one but she could not break free of this enchantment. "So I have been placed underneath your will. I am not pleased with this outcome but I know that I have no choice but to comply."

Chloe's eyes widened before she decided to remain calm and collected. "Okay, hypothetically speaking, what will happen if I try and release you from the binding spell?"

"I will perish and you will suffer as well," Isobel remarked to her in a bland and dry tone of voice. "I am bound to tell you the entire truth, Mistress. It would end bad for both of us."

"Okay, okay, I got it, but could you do one favor?" Chloe asked Isobel and the woman eyed her.

"Anything, Mistress," Isobel stated, possibilities dancing in her head, ready to please her mistress, no doubt about it.

"Could you please stop calling me, Mistress?" Chloe asked her and Isobel inclined her head towards the woman.

"Naturally, Mistress," Isobel stated in a robotic tone of voice, her eyes flickering with a hint of mischief.

Chloe pondered about the possibilities of what this woman being bound to her could bring. She supposed that she could be a useful asset, although it would be difficult to explain what happened with Lana. That was the one thing she was in an unfortunate little pickle about. The blonde woman placed her hand on her forehead.

'_How do I get myself into these situations?' _Chloe thought to herself as she resisted the urge to face palm.

Chloe did wonder that fairly often, the blonde stretched her shoulders out and Isobel started to rub them in circular motions. She had to admit that that felt rather good all things considered. Perhaps there were certain benefits of having a pet on two legs so to speak.

Although it might be hard to explain if she started to call her Mistress out in public but Chloe shook her head. She would cross that unfortunate bridge when she got to it. The blonde's face flickered with a slight smile as she thought about it, as Isobel's talented fingers worked into her shoulders with circular motions.

Although it might be hard to explain if she started to call her Mistress out in public but Chloe shook her head. She would cross that unfortunate bridge when she got to it. The blonde's face flickered with a slight smile as she thought about it, as Isobel's talented fingers worked into her shoulders with circular motions.

"So, you'll do anything for me, right?" Chloe asked with a smile crossing her face at the sensations of the hands working her over.

"Yes, I aim only to please you, Mistress," Isobel remarked and Chloe did wonder about the possibilities.

Of course there were more practical possibilities than gratification and Chloe reminded herself of that. She had a question to ask the woman, what did she have to lose if she asked it anyway? She threw her head back and spun around to face Isobel with a smile on her face.

"So do you have any idea at all where the third stone is?" Chloe asked Isobel.

"Pardon me, Mistress, but if I'd known where the stones were, I wouldn't have sought you out and I wouldn't be in this mess that I am in now," Isobel remarked in a tranquil tone of voice.

Chloe could have kicked herself, of course that would be the case. The woman had no idea whatsoever where the stones were and it looked like she was back to square one.

Her cellphone rang and Chloe excused herself to answer it.

"Oh, hey, Clark," Chloe stated as she heard him on the other end of the cellphone. "So have you had any luck?"

"Not one bit," Clark admitted over the other end of the phone. He turned it over in his mind but he hoped that he would find the stones before too long. "Karen says that she's having people look into it."

"Are you sure that you can trust her?" Chloe asked over the other end of the phone.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure that I can trust her," Clark offered to her on the other end of the phone.

"Are we certain you weren't staring at her cleavage when you made this decision?" Chloe retorted to Clark as she amended hastily. "Yeah, I know, it's hard to look away. Those breasts are the tenth wonder of the world after all."

"Yes, but that's beside the point," Clark remarked as he turned his head before he rolled his shoulders. "She's an older version of Kara, from an alternate dimension. Can you believe that?"

"In Smallville, I'm not sure if there's anything that I don't believe," Chloe remarked in a voice that swam with mirth. "I have my best female friend who has been bound to the spirit of a witch bound to me, can you believe that?"

"I can believe that," Clark remarked lightly. "And Lex has returned."

"So the rumors of the younger Mister Luthor's demise have been greatly exaggerated," Chloe stated before her curiosity got the better of her. "So….has he got in touch with you?"

"I just popped into the farm, my parents told me that Lex was there, looking for me, apparently they were having money troubles that I didn't know about," Clark offered before he turned his head around.

Then again, when were his parents not having money troubles?

"So you'll be meeting him soon, I guess," Chloe remarked and Clark responded with a nod. "I don't suppose I should tell you to watch yourself."

"It's Lex, he's….well I don't know anymore," Clark stated to him.

Clark wondered if he should let Lex in on the secret but after the ordeal that he went through, that might be a bit too much for him to handle it. Plus, he did not want Lionel finding out.

"Talk to you later Clark," Chloe remarked as she felt Isobel continue to work on her shoulders with her magical hands.

"Chloe, are you alright?" Clark asked over the phone.

"Well, she's devoted to me Clark, if you catch my drift," Chloe stated.

"I see," Clark said in a slow voice. "Well I'll talk to you later."

Chloe smiled before she spoke. "Bye Clark."

* * *

Lex returned a few days ago and already his entire world was turned upside down. He wanted to wait to take care of some unfinished business before he squared up the situation with Clark. He was surprised that the younger man bolted from the Kent Farm like that. He was not the type of person to go off on random flights of fancy.

The Kents had refused to part with much information other than the fact that Clark was not there. Lex was a bit shaken to find out Clark did not even bother to attend his funeral, and he wondered why. Surely there friendship was as rock solid as ever, in fact he would say that it would be the stuff of legends to be honest.

Although there were a lot of things that Lex did not know. The mystery that was Clark Kent slowly became unraveled before Lex's eyes more with each passing day. He wondered if he was ever meant to know about his good friend. Skepticism rang through Lex's mind but he would find out all too soon for he came face to face with Clark.

"So, the rumors of your demise have been greatly exaggerated."

Lex's eyes snapped forward and he lifted a hand to shake it. Clark grabbed the hand and took it, although there was more of a feeling out process to this handshake then before. There was almost a political game of sorts to it and both of them did not know what was going on with them.

"Clark, Clark, it takes more than a little plane crash and a few week stay on a deserted island to knock a Luthor out of the running," Lex offered to him. "Surely you should know how tenacious we are. We have more lives than a bag of cats."

Clark paused as he opened his mouth but he snapped it shut. That was true, he had to admit that Lex was fairly resourceful. In fact, there were times where the young Kryptonian wondered if he could take a page or two out of resourcefulness from the Luthor playbook. There was a few seconds where Clark watched him and wondered where exactly he stood with Lex. He wondered this for some time.

Where did he stand with the young man who he saved almost two years ago?

'_He could be your greatest enemy,' _Clark thought, he wondered if Lex took after his father even more than he cared to admit. His arms crossed.

"So what's been going on with you?" Lex asked trying to get the doors to communication open.

'_He's done nothing. Yet.'_

"I've been trying to recover….just with everything that's been going on, I wonder if I'm going to ever have any kind of normal life."

'_What is normal?'_

Clark's eyes flickered for a second but he shook his head. Lex arched his head back towards him with a smile.

"You know what in this world is normal? Just sit back and enjoy the ride Clark, it is a hell of one."

Clark would have to agree with that. Normality was something that he appreciated in his life but he suspected that was because he did not have enough of it. He watched Lex for a few seconds and tried to figure him out.

"So, are you sticking around for a long time?" Lex asked him.

Clark shook his head but chose his next few words carefully. "Well….I'm not sticking around for too long. Something's happened….there…."

"One of those things that call you in life?" Lex asked Clark in a calm tone of voice and Clark responded with a nod. Lex's mouth twitched into a fairly prominent grin as he nodded. "Clark, believe me, I've been there, I've done that. There are many times where I think that I have it all figured out but I'm grasping at straws."

Lex's eyes darted around, in fact Clark sensed that Lex was doing that a lot more often. He wondered if his little sabbatical affected him. That was becoming more prominent with each passing flicker of his eyes.

The two of them locked eyes onto each other before Lex stepped forward and whispered into Clark's ear.

"My father is up to something," Lex whispered to Clark. "I think he thinks that there's something about you….that you have some kind of secret."

Given some of the obsessions that Lex held himself, Clark thought that might be a little rich but the apple did not fall from the tree. Despite that, he was calm and he was cordial.

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks," Clark remarked to him.

"You should," Lex offered him with a grim grin on his face. "My father, he's a slippery one. I'm not sure if anything can stop him, especially if his mind was set on something."

He clapped his hand on Clark's shoulder before he whispered in his ear.

"Don't assume anything, Clark, just prepare for the worst," Lex offered him and now Clark felt his tensions rise a little bit.

Did Lex know more than what he was letting on? He wondered if he would have to exercise some kind of damage control pretty soon. He closed his eyes and threw his head back before opening it. Lex did not notice the gesture for he was spun around for a little bit. His eyes flickered outwards and Clark sensed that they were unblinking.

If Clark thought that this would be a joyous reunion, he was sorely mistaken. Lex was a different man, although he wondered if he was seeing a warmth and friendship that never really existed.

"If you need anything from me, anything at all Clark, just ask."

Clark wished that he could ask but there was something that held him back. He wondered what happened to Lex in the past few months. He folded his arms and there was tension that rose through the air.

He wondered if a rift had formed between himself and Lex and they were destined to be on opposite sides. An ordeal like Lex went through, the Kryptonian did not fully understand how he could have been affected.

Perhaps Clark was not meant to properly understand what happened to him.

* * *

"The search continues, I take it," Kal remarked to Karen as he edged forward with her towards the area around the caves. "I notice that there is no Lionel Luthor here or any of his men."

There was a brilliant smile on Karen's face before she turned to Clark. "Well…I might have pulled some strings to get the caves away from Luthorcorp and issue a restraining order on him, although it's temporary and not final yet. But hey, baby steps"

"You're brilliant," Kal told Karen as he pulled her into a hug before he realized what he did. Still he did not break the hug, feeling her large breasts press against his chest. There was a moment where the two Kryptonian's gazed longingly into each others eyes.

Kara sped out the cave before anything else could happen which caused Karen and Kal to break apart from each other. The blonde's eyes widened as she grabbed Kal's hand in an excited fashion.

"Is there any particular reason why you're trying to dislocate my arm from its socket?"

Kara hushed him a little bit before she pulled him into the cave. Kal paused and grabbed her around the waist. Karen walked behind them, looking half amused, half flabbergasted by the completely excited expression on the face of her double. The blonde's eyes widened before she watched forward with Kara and Clark. The two of them looked towards each other.

"Kara, what is it, why did you…."

Kara shook her head before she turned her head towards Clark slowly, she lifted herself up on her feet and sank down on them. The blonde was excited but it was Lara who was the one who informed him of what was going on.

"We finally have some good news on the stone front," Lara offered Clark and Clark's eyes widened. "Now, the stone is not in your grasp until you have it but…."

"I know, Mom, just let it out, what is it?" Clark asked as he arched himself up on his heels and looked towards the direction where his mother was.

"The stone is in this country somewhere," Lara commented to Clark and that was news to Kara, Clark, and Karen.

"Did your version of Kal find the stones?" Kara asked Karen but Karen turned towards her before offering her a small sigh.

"My version of Kal and I….we didn't get along."

Kara frowned, things got rather awkward.

"So where is the stone?" Clark asked Lara and there was a little bit of a pause.

Lara appeared to enjoy leaving Clark hanging in the air and there was a lengthy pause.

"It's in a place called Gotham City from what I've been able to find out."

Clark had heard things. Surely it wasn't the Gotham City he thought it was?

**To Be Continued In the Next Arc "Bat in the Belfry." **


	18. Chapter 17: Gotham City Part One

**Chapter Seventeen: Gotham Nights Part One "Bat in the Belfry." **

Clark arrived in a flash outside of the STARR Labs facility in Metropolis. Before he was going to go to Gotham City, Karen called him here for an urgent meeting and now Clark wondered what she called him here for. Maybe she was going to give him some urgent information that would give the head's up dealing with the stone. The Last Son of Krypton arrived outside the door.

It was a magnificent facility with an observatory and he wanted to have a tour of it sometime. Clark made his way to the building and was about ready to come to the office. He was inside and thought against speeding up the stairs. Granted, he could get up there much faster but taking the elevator would be giving him more than enough time to think so he put himself in position and leaned back against the elevator.

Two stones were down and one more to go but he had a feeling that it was not going to be simple. Were things every that simple? Clark would have to give a resounding no to that statement.

'_Kal, you really do need to relax,' _Kara thought to him.

'_I am relaxed,' _Kal thought in a furious manner as he grabbed his hands against the wall of the elevator and pushed himself back, leaning against the wall and trying in vein to do as he said.

Chloe could sense the frustration that was coming from Clark so she smiled. _'Well, if you're relaxed, that's really reassuring, isn't it?'_

'_Chloe, I was being serious,' _Clark thought to her, screwing his eyes shut in frustration and Chloe snickered through the link.

'_Believe me, Clark, I was too but once you have the stones, then everything will be fine,' _Chloe thought to him as she ticked down the fact they had two stones and there was one to go.

Clark was getting ready for the next part of his journey, for better or for worse. He exited the elevator and saw the large marble hallway. At the end of it, there was a security guard who looked tired and was about one cup of coffee away from having a brain aneurysm. Slowly, Clark stepped down the hallway to face the man. The security guard turned his head towards him and waited for Clark to speak.

"I'm here to see Karen Starr," Clark told him and the security guard nodded with a smile, although he had a feeling that it was a strained one and forced.

"She's in her office, she's been waiting for you," the security guard commented and the guard stepped to the side. "You can go inside now."

Clark stepped forward and opened the door, allowing it to click open. The Last Son of Krypton made his way inside and was nearly taken breathless by the sight that was before him, sitting on the desk.

Karen was sitting before him, her legs crossed over each other. He saw that she was not wearing her wig, rather her blonde hair formed freely and framed her face. Her dazzling blue eyes drank in his sight, as her high cheek bones showed her face. Her lips were pouty and her tongue trailed over it, moistening them to the sight. The blonde shifted against them, her blue blouse tightened across her bust.

Clark was driven even more breathless and his pants were getting tight and uncomfortable. He saw Karen bend over and showcase a great deal of her cleavage. Her breasts were amazing and he could have sworn that he saw her nipples poke out to greet him as she shifted a certain way. Her legs were muscular but still shapely as they were covered in stockings. Her high heel shoes dangled from her feet.

"Hello, Kal," Karen stated as she put the top of the pen in her mouth and pursed her lips around it, then she gave it a small suck.

Kal's eyes watched her as he got a little hot under the collar and tight in the pants. He felt the red Kryptonite kicking in a little bit more and he tried to keep himself calm and collected, even though it was hard to do. And that was not the only thing that was hard for Kal. The uncomfortable tightness in his pants proved that much.

"Hi, Karen….there was something that you wanted from me, wasn't there?" Kal asked as he felt the lump in his throat but the blonde smiled towards him, before she trailed her tongue slightly down on her lips.

'_Oh there's a lot of things I want from you, Kal-El,' _Karen thought as she used her X-Ray vision to get a nice little peak of the goods that was underneath his clothes. The blonde saw his bulge and she wanted to make it get bigger.

"I was just making sure if you didn't need anything, before you left," Karen stated as she draped one leg over the other and showed her shapely leg towards him. She leaned forward and Kal sat down in the chair across from her. The blonde's cleavage was right on his face and her stocking clad feet were on his crotch. "You know that if you need anything, anything at all…I'm here for you."

Those last few words were whispered in Kal's ear and this caused his cock to twitch. The Kryptonian was panting heavily as the blonde was shifting against the chair, her skirt was riding up a little bit and he saw a nice peak of her panties. The blonde watched him as she leaned forward and ran her fingers down the bulge in his pants.

"I…..I'm just going to leave in the morning for Gotham," Kal remarked as he got up for a few seconds and stood to face her.

Her breasts rose and fell as they were strained against her top. Kal reached forward and he wrapped his arms around Karen's waist.

"I wonder if there is something that I can do for you," Kal told her with a wide grin crossing his face and Karen's face popped into a wide smile.

"Oh believe me, Kal, there are many things that you can do for me and to me, now," Karen remarked as she pressed her lips together as she used her tongue to trace them.

She was lifted up and pushed back onto her desk. Kal was on top of Karen and his lips hungrily captured hers in a deep kiss. The busty blonde breathed heavily as she felt his mouth on hers and her pussy burned with the deepest desire. She could not believe this, his tongue worked into her mouth and she wrapped around him, using her strong legs to pull him in as close as possible.

'_Oh, Kal, take me,'_ Karen breathed as Kal's hands were on her skirt and she was excited, before he flipped it off.

"You've been ready for me," Kal commented as he played with her heated mound underneath her skirt. "Have you been waiting me, you dirty girl?"

"Yes, I want you and I want your big Kryptonian cock," Karen stated as she pushed herself up and groped him before practically ripping his pants open. She was not going to be denied this large piece of meat that hung between his legs.

**Smut/Lemon Begins. **

-PROFILE-

**Lemon Scene Ends.**

* * *

"We're going into the unknown," Diana told Kara and Clark as they made their way outside of the Gotham City Limits. The raven haired Amazon peered over her shoulder as she locked eyes with both Kryptonians. "Is there anything that we need to figure out about this place?"

Clark paused for a second before he deferred to Chloe. The link that Lara forged between the four of them worked great, it was able to lead them to obtain information without the flaw of speaking it out loud. The Last Son of Krypton smiled.

'_Well Gotham City has one of the worst crime rates in North America and it's just getting worse,' _Chloe thought to them through the bond link and there was a nodding on the other end. _'It's not a place that you would want to go on an ideal vacation and things are just going to get a lot worse. I wouldn't….well I wouldn't think that it was a place that you want to spend anytime unless we have to be there.'_

Kara heard the sounds of gunshot in the background and she cringed slightly, her eyes screwed shut. She let out a whistle before the blonde made a quick snap decision in her mind.

'_So it's agreed, we get in this place and we get out of this place as quickly as we can,' _Kara thought to them and that was a few seconds where they were in agreement. _'Okay, good to see that we're all on the same page.'_

"Hey, baby, how would you like to have a good time?"

Kara saw the guy, scuzzy, looking like he hadn't taken a shower in few years, and he dripped with sleaze both from the tone of his voice and his expression. By being in proximity, the blonde had a sudden desire to want to take a shower.

In surprise, Kal reached forward, grab the thug around the neck before he held him up.

"What's your problem man?" the thug stated as he tried to push out.

Kal's grin grew wicked as he stared down the thug. "I need to figure out the best place to put someone like you and you're a piece of garbage."

The thug was dropped into the dumpster and he screamed out in pain as Kara smiled and Diana's eyes widened.

"Well if he didn't do it, I was going to do," Kara remarked as she stared at the man who was in the trash can. All things considered, his smell was already an improvement.

Diana never was anywhere like Gotham City in her life, in fact, it was completely the opposite of everything that she lived through her entire life. The dark haired Princess soaked in the surroundings and it was the absolute opposite of paradise. Granted, there was a certain kind of warrior atmosphere that was amazing but she could not believe what was around her.

"Are you okay, Diana?" Kal asked her and she smiled before standing up straight like the prideful princess that she was.

"I'll be fine Kal, I'll really be fine," Diana remarked to him but there was a few seconds where she was on the edge before she pushed herself up on the heels of her boots.

"Just be ready for everything and we're pretty bullet proof," Kara commented as she readied herself.

She smelled the sound of decay and dust and she could have sworn that there was something lurking in the sewers underneath her.

'_So do you have any idea where the stone is?' _Clark thought as Kara shook her head.

'_Aunt Lara only had a general idea of where the stone landed, it's somewhere in this Gotham City, and who knows where it could be lingering in this mess,' _Kara thought as she cupped her hand on her chin.

Kal wondered how general of the area that Gotham was and there were already more than a few ideas that flickered through his head. His nerves reached a rather impressive fever pitch and it was just getting more intense by the moment. The Last Son of Krypton decided that there would be one order to give his female companions.

"Well, I guess that we wouldn't find anything for standing here, we might have to tear the city up and down to find it," Kal commented but Kara gave him a warning glare.

'_Well with Gotham City, it'd be an improvement,' _Kara thought to him and the blonde watched the situation as it simmered around her. It was not a city that invited a feeling of home sweet home.

Much like he learned on the island, Kal tried to use his powers to sync in with his surroundings. If he could find out where the harmonic energy vibrations in this city were different, than he could track down what he needed to find.

It was a long shot but at this point, he needed to go for any shot that he had. If someone else, especially someone in Gotham City, found this stone, well they would be up a creek without a paddle.

* * *

A fancy dressed man in a green suit with a top hat showed up. There was cane that was in his hand, with a diamond studded tip. In his briefcase, he held an item that he found in a museum. Granted it was on display but the display collected dust so he figured that no one would mind him borrowing it for his own purposes.

He skidded to a stop outside of an establishment that was only known as the Iceberg Lounge. His expression shifted over the entrance before he made his way inside. There was a number of high class people and politicians from around Gotham City, not to mention a few police officers. It was a ritzy nightclub with many dealings that were going on in the back room.

Many of those dealings were completely dirty and not on the level, not that this individual minded. He was out to make a few bucks and he stepped towards the back entrance of the club before he knocked three times.

A pair of eyes appeared from the other side.

"Yeah, what do you want?" a man with a British accent stated as he looked at him from the other side of the door.

"Mr. Cobblepot, it's Wilson, I've got something your boys might want to take a hold of."

The door opened and a short British Man with a nasty expression on his face, dressed in a tuxedo with an umbrella stepped back to allow him entrance.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Cobblepot asked with a nasty expression on his face. "Leonard, my old boy, come in, have a seat, take a load off, but not on the good chair, I've got it washed. The blood stains are murder to get out."

"How did they get on it, sir?" Wilson asked as he stared down the foul fowl.

Cobblepot gave a loud squawking laugh before he let him in on the secret. "Some wise guy thought he could pull the wool over his eyes. I put three bullets in his head. Should have hit him in a spot where he bled less. Fucking stuff came out of him like a fountain."

He cackled at these words and Wilson, well Wilson was a tad bit disturbed by this casual disregard for the fellow man. Anyway, that's the way that Cobblepot rolled. He was foul after all and he would sell his own mother if he thought he could make a couple of dollars.

Matter of fact word on the street was that he did sell his own mother, but…..that was another matter for another time.

"So what do you have, and you better give me the goods or else," Cobblepot stated to him in his most threatening tone of voice.

"Oh, believe me, sir, I've got the goods, I've got more than the goods," the man stated in a stammering tone of voice.

"For your sake you better have them," Cobblepot remarked, he was not about to be swindled by some two bit hooligan with a bad sense of fashion.

Wilson placed the case down on the table before he opened it up. Cobblepot leaned forward and looked at it, a sneer appearing on his face.

"Are you trying to take the piss out of me, son?" Cobblepot asked as he reached forward for the rock with thinly veiled disdain. "Just some piece of rubbish rock, nothing really of value, here, see."

Cobblepot had the desire to lift up the rock and ram it on the top of this numbskulls head, she wanted to knock some sense in this waste of semen. His eyes flittered in the most malicious fashion as he shook the rock and it began to rattle in his hand.

"Well what do we have here?" Cobblepot asked as he saw the stone and it began to light up in his hand.

The stylish criminal might not have believed in voodoo or witchcraft or anything like that, but the fact of the matter was that he had this stone hanging from his hand. It was glowing and causing a humming in his hand. He stared at it, his dark eyes flickering with coldness and intensity that could not be matched by any.

"Well, this is something, isn't it, oh this is really something," Cobblepot commented as he hovered the rock in his hand and wondered how much he could get out of it. There was something about this rock, well the fact it was acting like this.

Wilson's gaze fixed on Cobblepot's and he had never seen the man in such a trance. It was starting to make him extremely nervous and he had seen a lot of strange shit.

"Boys, it's time to lock up shop, we've got something….not quite sure what it does, but we've sure got something," Cobblepot remarked as he gave a deadly and sadistic squawk as he continued to analyze the rock. His beak was passed against the rock and he continued to analyze it, his teeth gritted, nasty and sharp as his breath, smelling of the foulest odor filled the air.

Cobblepot knew when he stumbled upon something that had the MIDAs touch and there was a few seconds where he pondered the possibilities.

Then his hearing picked up a loud crashing sound from outside the warehouse and he nearly pushed himself up to his feet before he got to his feet. He pulled out his trick umbrella, with a gun inside it. He could shoot someone's brains out for daring to cause a ruckus in his club.

"What if it's the bat, boss?" one of the men asked him.

"Then why don't you go out here and check for him?" Cobblepot stated as another thug opened the door helpfully. "I'm right behind ya, son."

The thug was thrown out the door into the waiting arms of….well Cobblepot could not see what he was pushed into the waiting arms of. All Cobblepot saw was someone scooping up the thug in question and punting him over the railing into the drink.

"What the name of Sam Hill is going on?" Cobblepot stated as he reached forward and held his trick umbrella. "You better come out of here, because it isn't funny, it isn't fucking funny at all."

He fired a barrage of bullets from his trick umbrella but the blur rushed forward and knocked Cobblepot back before he could even blink.

"Bloody hell, he's worse than the bat," Cobblepot stated and he found a hand clenched on his throat as he was dangled over the edge by a young man with dark head. "Now, son, we can make a deal."

Two of his thugs tried to go at Kal from behind. Diana wrapped one of them up with a lasso and Kara used her heat vision to melt the floor around the feet of the second thug. She was trying to leave Kal's path clear.

"Where's the stone?" Kal asked as he tightened his hand around the throat of Cobblepot who struggled and squirmed.

"Now, now, don't be too hasty, my boy," Cobblepot breathed before he felt his situation perilously dangling over the edge. "I didn't know the stone was yours, see, no hard feelings, we'll get you that stone and all will be great. Just got to….."

Kal released Cobblepot and he tried to reach into his jacket to grab a gun but he back handed it out of his hand. The gun flew over the ledge and splashed into the icy water below.

Kara stopped and stared, she could have sworn that she saw a shark in the water and suddenly, blood from the thug that had been knocked into the water, for a seeminglessly harmless end, bubbled up. She cringed at this.

"Better hand over the stone, or you're shark bait," Kal stated as he grabbed his hands around Cobblepot's shoulder.

"Right, right, no need….get your bloody hands off me and I'll bring you to the bloody stone," Cobblepot offered but Kal gripped him around the neck.

"Point the way and you better not be tricking me," Kal informed him and Cobblepot grumbled as Kal marched him towards the office.

The wily gentleman criminal tried to figure out what he needed to do next but he was not having the best time out of it. His eyes screwed shut and his face was twisting to anger.

"It's through that office you thug," Cobblepot told him and Kal tossed him like a piece of paper over his desk.

Kara and Diana joined him as they looked over before they saw it or rather they did not see it.

"I warned you not to lie," Kal stated as he pushed him into the wall and pushed him back, before ramming his knee into the face of Cobblepot. It was not full force because that would have killed him but it still caused him some pain.

"I'm not pissing with you, you wanker," Cobblepot growled as he tried to kick his way out of his predicament but Kal glared at him.

"Kal, I think he's telling the truth," Kara remarked to him.

"Of course, I'm telling you the truth, crazy bird," Cobblepot offered but Kara glared at him, before she flicked him on the nose. "Ow!"

"That was rude," Kara informed him as Diana stepped forward and decided to inform them what she determined.

"I think whoever got the stone, they took it while we were dealing with his thugs," Diana commented before she turned around. "They couldn't have gotten too far."

Kal watched Cobblepot, before he nodded, and he sped off, with Diana and Kara following behind him.

Cobblepot sputtered and squirmed at what he suffered. He was not accustomed to being humiliated and he would get his revenge on them.

* * *

The stone was a curiosity that Kal was not the only one who had been tracking for all of that time. A gloved hand clutched the stone as the individual made down to the cave, a calculating expression glinting behind the cowl. The hands were raised up and placed on either side as figure cloaked in black.

In the shadows, down a cave, the brooding force walked briskly down to the lab. Pointed ears, black costume, a fluttering black cape, and an insignia on the chest that was shaped like a giant bat was part of the outfit. There was a yellow belt that had any number of gadgets, some of them to the point of being outlandish but one could never be prepared too much for any situation at hand.

The stone was placed down at the lab table and the gloved hands ran over it. There had to be a scientific explanation.

"So…..you just picked up that rock on a leap of faith, didn't you?"

That was the voice of a redhead who showed up at the cave. She was female and attractive, of about sixteen or so years of age. She had her hair tied back in a ponytail and right now she wore casual attire of a black t-shirt and jeans. It wrapped around her body and she sat, a frown appearing on her face as she stretched back. The shirt rode up her to reveal her sexy belly button as she shifted and she seemed rather bored.

The lack of answer unnerved the redhead in the cave as she watched her partner or rather mentor. Or maybe her slave driving supervisor, it was hard to tell at this point. She reached forward and grabbed an apple. She slowly chewed on it, with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Yeah Barbara, I'm trying to figure out whether or not the crime wave in the city is based off of this one little rock," the redhead stated.

Barbara Gordon had lived in Gotham City for as long as she could remember and there was one thing that she recalled for that long. The city had been full of more crime and corruption than any other city on the planet. Gotham had the reputation it had for a reason.

She bit down on her lip, her father was out there, fighting the good fight, at least the best that he could. Of course, when his boss was in the pocket of one of the top mob bosses in Gotham City Oswald Cobblepot, Barbara sometimes doubted that her father was going to get home in one piece or at least with everything intact.

"Is there a problem, Miss Gordon?"

It was Alfred, that trusty butler every billionaire should have and Barbara's expression turned towards Alfred who made his way down the steps.

"Well, our resident bat has not said two words since getting back to the cave," Barbara commented to Alfred and the Butler's expression remained rather stoic. Barbara wondered if he practiced that no nonsense expression in the mirror every single day.

"Well that is the peril of being the World's Greatest Detective I'm afraid," Alfred commented as he saw the stone. "Although I do admit, that doesn't go with the rest of the décor of the cave."

The stone was placed underneath a microscope and the pair of gloved hands reached over.

"You know, you should really take off that cowl in the cave, no one's going to get a hint of your secret identity," Barbara offered to her boss but there was no answer. She was getting the silent treatment along with a little dose of the cold shoulder. "Fine, whatever, be that way, see if I care."

"Your pouting is almost amusing, Miss Gordon," Alfred offered to her in his usual stoic tone.

Barbara said nothing as she shifted her expression off to the side, so she could properly roll her eyes. Now she was getting more curious about this stone that had been liberated from the Iceberg Lounge in the dead of the night.

"So, do you have any idea who….who attacked Cobblepot and his goons?" Barbara asked her partner but there was no response. She stepped forward and heard the stone humming. "Okay, that's not good."

There was something about the stone that was humming and the gloved hands closed over.

There was a whooshing sound from the other end of the cave and Barbara nearly yelped as a blonde grabbed her around the shoulders.

"Do you think it's funny that you took the stone from underneath our noses?" Kara asked as she stared Barbara down.

"Hey, I didn't do that, that's the person that you're looking for," Barbara offered in a defensive tone of voice as she felt the utterly strong grip around her shoulders and she was pushed back into the cave wall.

She must have been working too long at this job because she was kind of getting off on this.

Kal appeared as he saw the figure who had their back turned to him.

"So, you're the one who took the stone, do you realize what kind of danger it is to have that stone in your possession?" Kal asked his eyes glowed with fury as he grabbed the figure and spun the chair from behind to reveal the shadowed figure.

The voice commented lightly beneath the cowl. "So, this stone belongs to you, you're the one that the journal speaks of."

Clark was taken off by this voice, this dark and brooding figure, he thought it was going to be gruff and well….a man but then he saw the eyes blinking from beneath the cowl and the extremely feminine lips.

Helena Wayne, better known as Batwoman, watched the figure, was kind of annoyed at being found in her inner cave. Her father was a hero during the golden age of heroes, during the time of the Justice Society of America. He met her mother during a heist that she tried to pull on the very mansion above them.

It was an unconventional romance.

"So, you're the mysterious bat of Gotham City," Kal commented as he stared down the woman.

"And you're…." Helena remarked before she turned around and saw the notes that her father took down from her conversation with Doctor Swann. The twenty four year old woman, on the job for less than a year, kept quiet about exactly what he was.

"Tell me, what is he?" Kara asked and Diana showed up, she had been in the shadows.

"Why don't we just post a neon sign on the front of the cave to allow everyone inside?" Alfred asked and there was no response other than a few glares.

"Tell me, what do you really know about your circumstances about coming here?" Helena asked as she focused her gaze on him.

Clark's expression turned before he saw her underneath the mask. She had silky black hair, dazzling blue eyes, and pouty lips, not to mention she had an amazing and athletic figure. Not that he peered too much than the layer beneath the suit.

"I don't know why you wear that mask, you don't have anything to be ashamed of," Kal commented as he leaned towards her, slowly closing the gap.

Helena slid back for a few seconds and stared at him. "You're barking up the wrong tree now…."

"Clark Kent," Kal offered to her.

"Kent," Helena offered as her head turned towards the man in front of her. He did keep inside in shape, she'd give him that.

"So aren't you going to tell me who you are?" Clark asked with a smile but the woman's eyes followed his before she shook her head.

"No, I don't think so…."

"Well you don't need to because I took a look underneath that cowl, I can't believe you're the mysterious Batwoman," Clark remarked.

"Oh, great, he knows you're Helena Wayne," Barbara offered to her and Kara smiled.

"Nightwing!" Batwoman stated in a warning tone of voice and she slumped against the wall.

"Well I didn't know until then but thanks a lot, really," Clark commented to her with a wide grin across his face.

'_Way to go Barbara, really FUBARed things there,' _Barbara thought to herself.

"So, why are you after the stone?" Kara demanded, never been one for tact.

"Why don't you explain first?" Helena asked. "You're after what your father sent you here for, aren't you?"

"My father is a farmer," Clark offered to her.

Helena gave him a "don't play dumb" type of look before she amended. "I mean your birth father, the one that sent you here."

Kal's eyes flashed with the hints of red Kryptonite kicking in. "Wow, beautiful and intelligent and you look good in a tight leather suit."

Helena reached for the pouch in her belt but thought better of it, at least for now.

Diana decided to be diplomatic about the situation. "Why don't we compare notes and…..we'll figure out what the other knows?"

"You can start," Helena commented, she did not trust anyone that well. After her parents were murdered by that psychotic jester, it took years for her to let anyone in.

Alfred was the only one, and then Batgirl, Nightwing, and Huntress were the other three but they earned their way in. And she preferred to do things her way.

She was not about to let some dopey farm boy from Kansas fluster her.

* * *

"So do you little tossers need me to hold your hand or will you be fine on your own?

"Boss….I don't know about this, you hear what he's like."

Cobblepot, mostly embarrassed from what happened than anything, walked around with his three henchmen down in the sewers.

"Pah, you don't know what the meaning of true fear is, it's about time you grow some hair on your sacs," Cobblepott stated as he pushed one of the thugs forward roughly with his umbrella. His expression moved through narrowed eyes as he lead his gang forward. "The boy's the best tracker in the business, a bit….well you've just got to give him the right peace offering."

Cobblepot had a bag over his shoulder and he eyed his gang members.

"In here….well it's whatever's left of the last group of thugs that failed me, I cut them up, just like this," Cobblepot commented as he waved the sharp blade of his umbrella in front of the chest of one of the thugs. He gulped, realizing at any second that the blade could go in him for real. "Good thing I saved the remains….they'll be perfect for dinner time."

Cobblepot stopped before he invited one of his thugs forward.

"Well what are waiting for," Cobblepot told him in a gruff voice as he shifted his eye towards the petrified thug in front of him. "Go on, boy, ring him up."

With a gulp, the thug stepped forward but a hand grabbed him from the shadows and pulled him into the cave.

The other thugs winced as they heard the screaming sound. There was a sound of flesh ripping against teeth and bones breaking. Blood splattered into the water as Cobblepot watched, a slight twisted grin appearing over his teeth.

"That'll show the rest of you lot what happens when you don't follow my orders," Cobblepot commented savagely.

"That one will give me indigestion," the figure in the shadows growled.

"Croc, my boy, good to see you, I brought you dessert," Cobblepot stated as he threw the bag. It was ripped open. He turned around to his gang as the creature chowed down on the remains of his former thugs. "See, no table manners but he's a nasty old cuss, you don't want to….well you don't want to piss that old boy off you see."

The thugs gulped and nodded.

"No, no, boss, no."

"What do you want, Cobblepot," Croc growled from the shadows.

"Merely a favor, I need something for you to track down, and you can have the person that took it for an appetizer," Cobblepot stated as he held out the case that had been brought to his lab.

He threw it down for Croc who sniffed it.

"Yes, I've got the scent, and they'll be mine," Croc stated as he used the femur bone of one of the devoured thugs as a toothpick.

"You give me the stone and you get the person who robbed it from me," Cobblepot commented as he reached forward but thought better of it.

Killer Croc laughed, blood dripping from his teeth as feral hunger flashed in his eyes. "Tick tock, feed the croc."

**To Be Continued in the Next Part. **


	19. Chapter 18: Feed the Croc

**Chapter Eighteen: "Bat in the Belfry Part Two: Feed the Croc."**

"There are people who are willing to tear the world apart in their pursuit of those stones," Helena commented after she concluded the story of what she knew, although even the World's Greatest Detective would have to admit that there were more than a few pieces missing from the explanation. The dark haired woman pondered the situation that she was in and knew that there was going to be trouble.

"My mother said as much," Clark admitted as he faced Helena and the woman's face, never once uncovered by the cowl, offered a frustrated glare.

"She's correct….these stones were never meant to be touched by humans, yet your father in all of his wisdom decided to make them known to a select group of people," Helena stated as her eyes flickered up towards the exit of the cave. Bats fluttered around which was a mostly serene experience for her, at least that's what she'd admit. "And now….every felon with a pulse is going to want to get their hands on the treasure that should have been in your hands at birth."

"That's not going to happen," Clark offered but Kara shook her head.

"Cobblepot nearly got his hands on the stone," Kara informed him and Clark stared.

"Yes, he did, and once he does….well you know as well as I do that it will be game over all around," Helena offered to them and the World's Greatest Detective had an unreadable expression beneath her cowl. "That's why we must determine whether or not someone else has tried to track down the stones as well."

Diana was silent for this entire time but her head was swimming with more information than she thought she could handle. The brunette Amazon princess pondered the situation before she turned to the young detective.

"Do you have an idea if anyone tracked those stones down?" Diana wondered and Helena paused as a smile crossed over her face.

"I do have some form of an idea, yes," Helena commented in a brisk tone of voice, not bothering to even clarify.

"So….what are we going to do?" Clark asked and Helena spun towards him.

"Patience is not your strong suit and neither is tact," Helena commented in a brisk tone of voice and Clark's mouth hung wide open, much to the amusement of Kara.

Clark shook his head as Helena kept her eyes on him for a moment before she turned back to resume clicking away at the computer. The dark haired woman did not even bother to look up from what she was doing.

"Cobblepot's on the move again," Helena stated as Barbara could not resist chiming in with her own two cents.

"He moves rather fast for a rotund waddling man," Barbara commented and Helena's frustrated expression flickered back towards her friend but she smiled and paused. "Sorry….but it's the truth."

"I know it is," Helena offered, she was not about to argue with that point, not even a little bit. She remained focused on the view screen in front of her, not blinking, not flinching even a tiny bit. She was trying to pinpoint what was happening so she could put a stop to it and end everything. 'Surely….surely he hasn't done something that insane."

"Surely what?" Kara asked but Helena did not answer at least for now. Annoyance flashed through Kara's eyes but Barbara shrugged and shot her an apologetic expression through her eyes.

"Hey….you'll get used to it after a while," Barbara remarked to Kara and Kara blinked as Barbara amended her statement. "She's someone who….well she keeps her cards close to her chest, so don't take it personally if she gives you the silent treatment."

Kara paused and blinked as she said two words. "I see."

"Yeah, don't sweat it, she's just always like this," Barbara offered Kara.

Clark, on the other end, did sweat it and his impatience reached a fever pitch. He thought about taking the rock and getting out of there.

'_Actually, what's stopping us from snatching the rock and running out of here?' _Kara inquired through the link to Clark but then she added as an afterthought. _'Other than the fact that it'd be pretty rude.'_

'_There's nothing really stopping us, I guess,' _Clark offered but before he could take more drastic measures, Helena spoke up and what she had to say was not to Clark's liking to say the least.

"Cobblepot has hired someone to track the stone down," Helena commented in a brisk tone of voice and Clark's eyebrows shot up, raised at the young Detective. "Try not lose your patience until we find who he hired."

"Is there something you're not telling us?" Kara asked Helena and the dark haired woman nodded her head slowly before she addressed the blonde.

"Cobblepot's hired a tracker, he goes by the name of Killer Croc but he's more than that," Helena explained to them. "Croc has murdered hundreds of people."

"He must be mad to hire someone like this," Diana broke in with a brisk tone, her eyes widened at the sheer absurdity of such a thing.

Helena's mouth curled into a frown before she continued. "It gets much worse from there I'm afraid. Croc has not only killed people but he's butchered them, massacred them, whatever horrific adjective you choose to use, he's done it."

"That's awful," Kara stated, feeling sick to her stomach as she read the reports.

Clark wondered what kind of psychopath he was dealing this but after the rumors that he read and heard about Gotham City, he was not the least bit surprised somehow. This was not your standard meteor freak of the week, no this was something else, something dangerous, and something that would test Clark to his limits.

"I won't sugar coat this for you, if you go against Croc, he won't care about your powers, he'll rip you to shreds," Helena said to Clark and she made sure his eyes locked onto hers. "You're going in there against someone who's not playing with a full deck."

She paused before she continued.

"All those farm chores will not save you from doing what you have to do against Croc," Helena concluded and Clark paused before he spoke once more.

"You don't know me that well," Clark concluded as the group prepared for what was next.

* * *

Gotham City was not a safe place at night, not even for the most hardened of men. Therefore as two young females made their way through the streets, a sense of foreboding racked their bodies, they wondered if they were going to be caught out and about at the wrong possible time.

"Mindy, I told you we should have left a while ago."

"Like don't have a cow Katie, nothing's going to so totally happen."

"Like, it would be so totally bogus if we completely and totally got caught out here," Katie commented as the peroxide blonde turned around. She clutched her books to her chest, as her heart drummed nervously having against her ribs. The blonde's expression kept flickering back and forth as she tried to take in everything happening around her.

It was quiet, too quiet actually and that put her nerves on edge. Katie and Mindy stepped out of the shadows before one of them nervously decided to be the one that was going to open their mouth.

"Um, like, hello?" one of the girls questioned but there was nothing but a loud growling sound that could be heard from the shadows. The girl's pulse started to race and her heart beat drummed within her chest. Her hands started to shake as she turned her hands over and sweat dripped through her palms. "If you're trying to pull a prank, this is so not like funny."

"You kids are out a little late," a voice growled from the shadows.

"Are you like the police or something?" Katie commented in a snide tone of voice.

"Yeah, you can't do anything to us, that would be like so kind of bogus and stuff," Mindy stated as the blonde sniffled as she reached into her purse. "So why don't you take a hike and like scram."

Killer Croc growled as he caught scent of his prey. These two nubile young school girls would taste better than the hooker he had on the way here. Although he was tempted to mangle them slowly because of their utter bastardization of the English language, because bitches that talked like that, they got on his fucking nerves.

Croc grabbed one of the girls around the waist and she gave an ear splitting shriek that echoed all around. The beast's eyes flashed with annoyance, he was going to pick his teeth with this bimbo's femur bone.

"Like….what are you….ouch that hurts," Mindy stated as she was tossed to the ground.

Croc smiled, he liked when they ran, it made them all nice and tender. It was more fun when his prey fought him.

One of those bimbos tried to waffle him over the head with a purse, the key word being try, as he caught it.

"Crocodile skin, pretty nice," Croc stated as he ripped it open as he grabbed the other female around the waist and flung her like a ping pong ball all the way across the alleyway. The woman winced as she crashed against the ground, rolling over and clutching her wrist. With a surprisingly fluid motion, she sat up and started to pant in a wild manner.

"What are you, some kind of freak or something?" Mindy demanded as her eyes followed the progress of Croc but he growled with a smile on his face. She could see chunks of skin in his teeth.

"The freakiest," Croc stated as he paused before he heard something going around. Croc's mouth contorted into a wide grin that was rather terrifying. "You bitches got lucky, because I got the date with the Bat."

Croc spun around as he allowed his meal to scramble off for now. Now that he got their scent, he could polish them off later. His eyes flickered off to the side maliciously as his teeth snapped with an expression of blood lust and insanity flowing through his mind and in his eyes.

"Come out, Batwoman, come out, come out, face me," Killer Croc growled but a blur ran in at super speed.

Even for Croc things slowed down as the super powered fist of someone drilled across his face. He was sent flying backwards and he landed with a huge crunch, rolling over and wincing from the impact.

Croc landed on the ground, his jaw snapped and blood splashing from it but he turned around and saw a young man with a red jacket standing over him.

"So, you've decided to step into the big leagues, kid and be a hero," Croc offered as he stared down the young man before him. He gave a loud laugh as he licked his lips with malicious intentions in his eyes. "I eat that stuff up."

Croc dove for his adversary but Clark dodged out of the way. This allowed Kara to move in to keep the Croc off balance. Her foot connected into his face and Croc staggered, feeling a busted jaw having given to him.

"Alright, more snacks," Croc growled as Batwoman dove down to face him. The beast's eyes flickered with delight as he licked his lips before he gave a snarl. "Was wondering when you'd show up."

Batwoman said nothing except for arming herself with a pair of brass knuckles that sent sparks flying. She jumped forward and swung for the Croc.

A loud crashing sound resounded in every direction and Croc slid back, wounded from the knuckles drilling into his chest. Batwoman's eyes continued to dart, the fury in them were beyond all measure.

"You've made a huge mistake," Croc growled in warning as he dove at Batwoman but Nightwing activated the explosive charges that she set up.

Croc was rocked, his knees buckling from the impact and Nightwing swung down to nail him in the face with both feet.

"Guy can't get an honest meal," Croc growled to himself as Batwoman tried to wrap him up but he chomped his jaws through the grapnel to break free.

Clark's eyes followed the progress of the croc man and tried to use his heat vision on him. The heat vision connected with Croc's chest and he felt a stabbing pain.

Killer Croc's mind was blown, somehow, someway, this punk hurt him. He would have been impressed if he had not been so fucking pissed off and he raised his hands up as he growled to the heavens.

"That fucking hurt you son of a bitch," Croc stated but he saw some bitch in a tiara make her way towards him.

Croc knew one thing, the dinner table was getting a bit crowded now and he bared his teeth. As a distraction, Croc lifted up a really big rock and threw it at Clark with amazing force.

Clark staggered around, surprised by this attack.

Croc pushed himself off as he made his way into the alleyway.

Clark tried to rush after him but he was gone.

"Let him go," Helena told Clark for a few seconds. She was impressed out how well he handled himself out there. Granted, she would not say that out loud and there was a shit ton of improvement that he could make, but there was still the fact that he could have done a lot worse out there.

"Let him go?" Clark asked, unable to believe that these words left the woman's mouth.

"That's what I said," Helena told him as she did not bother to qualify that statement with anything more than what was said. "Just….just let it go….believe me, he'll find a way to slip up."

"You do realize that he knows now….about the stone," Clark remarked to Helena and she just cast him a look that indicated that she knew. "So…."

"You did horrible out there," Helena offered as she turned away from him and walked off.

Barbara smiled as she turned to Clark, a wide grin crossing her face. "I think she likes you."

Clark only had one thing to say that. "Wonderful."

* * *

At the end of the day, Lieutenant James Gordon did not have a second of what he could call time off. Although there were a few seconds where he thought that everything was going to cool down to a sudden crawl. The Gotham City police officer arrived home after getting off for the night.

The crime wave that went through Gotham City was bad, especially given that the police were just as bad as the criminals in some respects. Gordon could not believe that widespread corruption but given the past in this city, he supposed that he should not be surprised. It was that way for years. There were some people who went so far as to say that the city itself was cursed and doomed to misfortune.

Whilst Gordon was not about to go that far, he was going to have to admit that there was something extremely wrong with the city and it was in desperate need of repair. His eyes shifted towards one direction as he walked through his house. Ignoring the cramp in his leg, Gordon made his way up the stairs for where he was going to go off to next. He knew that there was one thing that was on the menu above all else and that would be a nice solid soak in the bathtub.

Gordon reached forward towards the door but he stopped. Someone had a sixth sense about things that could be wrong that was bred from spending way too much time in Gotham City. His hand twitched over the door knob as he thought that reach forward. He paused and thought about it.

The loud growling sound made him think even more about it as he hitched in a deep breath and prepared to place his foot against the door.

Perhaps now was not the right time to change in there and be a hero but James Gordon knew by now that there came a time for thinking and there came a time for some form of drastic action. His heart beat across his chest, consequences of the adrenaline that pumped through his body and it continued to work over him. Gordon's expression flickered with a nasty fury as there was a growl on the other side of the door.

His hairs stood on the back of his neck as there was a sound and then there were a few words, a snarl that came from the bathroom. The words echoed through Gordon's brain and everything became clear.

"Tick tock, feed the Croc."

James Gordon knew exactly the sadistic psychopath he was dealing with and had to react in an according manner. Lives always were on the line when this sadistic bruiser showed up and this time it was his.

He realized that Croc was in the bathroom and there was a lightning storm that was kicking out outside.

"Don't move, I've got an entire squad outside, they're ready to take you down," Gordon said as he held his gun up.

He did not want to be the one to fire first but at the same time he might have no choice. His hand twitched over the handle of the gun as the growling from the other end of the door got more and more prominent. Then there was laughter that resounded as the man on the other end remarked in a callous tone.

"You ain't got shit, Gordon, you ain't got shit!"

Gordon's bluff had been called and now the Gotham City Police Commissioner had to deal with the fact that pretty much all of the bullets had been removed from his gun. He gritted his teeth as he waited for the other shoe to drop, as toxic and tormenting as that was. Gordon's eyes flickered towards the door.

"Come on Gordon, come out and play."

There was a crashing sound.

"It isn't your bitch coming home Gordon," Croc growled as he sprang out of the shadows.

Gordon blast Croc a few times and the killer smiled as he ambled forward.

"That almost hurt, you son of a bitch," Croc stated as he dove from the bathroom.

Gordon blocked his attempts to chow down and using the bigger mans momentum was able to hurl Croc down the stairs. He knew that was not even enough to stun Croc, not in the slightest. Gordon was ready for the follow up attack and sure enough Croc was back.

"Come on, Jimmy boy, either handle the heat or get the fuck out of my kitchen!" Croc snapped with a snarl as spit flew in every direction.

James Gordon's heart thumped within his chest as Croc stalked up the stairs. He tried to radio for help but knew that it would be a while before those people got their collective rears in gear.

Croc disarmed him and threw Gordon over his shoulder.

"I'm going to eat you up," Croc grunted as he stood over Gordon but the cop stared definitely at him.

"Wouldn't want to spoil your appetite," Gordon stated, almost trying to goad Croc into doing something dangerous to him.

"Nah, don't worry, I'd choked on things bigger than you," Croc growled as he pushed Gordon down the flight of steps.

Gordon flew down the steps and he landed hard with a thud. Croc wrapped his hand around Gordon's throat and started to squeeze with all of the malice he could summon through his hands. Clawed hands wrapped around the throat of the Gotham City police commissioner as he staggered and squirmed.

"Gotcha now, Jimbo," Croc growled as he thought that Gordon might be good for a quick pre-dinner snack with the bat and her new friends being the main course.

Then he realized that he could bait a trap and then eat the bait afterwards. If he got the stone for Cobblepot, than the man would keep him in meat for a long time. Granted, Croc enjoyed the thrill of the hunt more than anything else but a man's got to eat.

"You and me Jimbo, we've got plans tonight," Croc stated as he shackled Gordon before dragging him off towards his lair.

It was the same kind of chains that the freak show tried to hold him down with, so it was only fitting.

* * *

"Where did Croc go now?" Barbara wondered as she hung back at the cave.

"I don't know," Helena stated and Barbara's eyes widened, she never thought that she would hear those words out of her partner's mouth.

The truth was that the redhead blinked a few seconds as she realized that they were not back at the main cave.

Clark in particular thought that this was a wise idea, not that he was a person who was known for his masterful planning. Still even Clark knew that someone like Croc could track the stone back.

"You can't take the stone back to Smallville until Croc's been dealt with," Helena commented as she eyed them sternly.

"And how long will that take?" Kara asked.

"As long as it takes, the mission is everlasting," Helena offered although she sometimes wondered why she bothered.

Kara's expression was twisted into one of thinly veiled amusement as she turned her head around to face Barbara. The redhead leaned against the wall, barely able to keep her head up. The entire night was one that was just getting started if it lined up with past events.

"She has a very active social life, doesn't she?" Kara asked Barbara and the redhead raised her eyebrows before shrugging her shoulders.

"Helena is intense but she gets the job done more often than not," Barbara told her and Kara slumped her shoulders to nod in agreement.

That might have been true but there was something that weirded Kara out about the intensity of this girl. There was just something that reflected in her eyes that caused the blonde to wonder if she needed to get laid, a couple of times. She understood better than anyone else.

"And what if Croc tracks us here?" Diana asked, not that she was scared because that would take more than a few things to rattle Diana.

Helena remained silent to the question and Diana thought that she should get used to getting the silent treatment by this time. The dark haired woman was working on something, but then again, she seemed to be the type of person who always was working on something. Diana and Kal's eyes met each other and Kara's exasperation was high but she turned to Barbara.

"So you don't have any super powers?" Kara asked Barbara and Barbara's expression turned into a smile.

"None at all," Barbara commented, although there would be some days where she wished that she had more than a few super powers. The arches and the pains, the bumps and the bruises, they were all part and parcel of the hero game. The redhead woman's expression was rather thoughtful. "I suppose they'd complicate things."

Helena did not state anything but she found powers to be a bother for the simple sake that if anyone had a power, it could be also turned into a weakness. Humans had a remarkable amount of weaknesses without powers. The dark haired woman's expression moved over what she hoped would slow Croc down to a crawl. Or at least cause his life to be a bit more difficult than it was in the past.

"Nearly done," Helena informed them as she kept her eyes on what was in front of her and she started to ponder this.

The peak of their physical perfection was something that was hard to obtain by any human means and Helena tried to be the best in the world at what she did, for better or for worse. That was something that she was happy about achieving no matter what.

The Detective bent over the equipment and Clark gave her an appraising look. Her eyes snapped up towards his, annoyed by the distraction.

"May I help you?" Helena asked Clark in a brisk voice. He was nothing like the journals stated that he would be like. Of course, when she read the journals, she suspected that he was sent here to take over the world thanks to the message that Jor-El put in the journal so she did the best that she could to prepare for it.

"Just making sure you're…."

"That I'm fine, yes, I am, thank you very much," Helena offered as she tuned to the radio. "Alfred, any word on Croc?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Wayne, everything is quiet on the Western front as they say," Alfred commented and he could sense the frustration that was swimming from Helena's tone of voice. "Do not despair…."

"I don't despair Alfred and you know why," Helena commented as she made sure her belt was on.

She had forgotten to pack a key piece of equipment in her utility belt during one of her first missions and it had been an embarrassment. After that time, Helena vowed not to do anything like that again. Life and death could hinge on it.

"Are you ready?" Kara asked as she held her ear out.

'_Guys….you're still in Gotham City, aren't you?' _Chloe asked them from afar.

'_Yeah, Chloe, we're chasing some crocodile monster who is after me because he wants the stone,' _Clark thought as he realized how absurd that sounded in his head as it did out loud. He tried not to lose his cool, even though it was extremely hard to do so. The Last Son of Krypton wondered what Chloe had to tell him.

'_You may want to flip on the local news,' _Chloe thought and there was a certain amount of nervousness that resounded through her voice that was hard to even block out of their minds.

Dread filled Clark's mind and he wondered what was about to happen now. The Last Son of Krypton never heard Chloe sound so serious.

"Switch on the news," Clark said to them and Helena raised her eyebrow but she did as she was asked.

Helena's eyes followed the news, it was the usual news about drugs, smuggling, and the police claiming that they were going to look into things, even though that they never did. The dark haired woman kept her eyes fixed on everything and wondered why this would be of her interest.

At least until she heard the news.

"Notorious serial killer Waylon Jones, also known as Killer Croc, has struck again, This time he has invaded the home of GCPD officer James Gordon."

Barbara's eyes widened and she tried to keep things cool. Kara noticed her discomfort and put her arm around Barbara's shoulders to ease her to a comfortable level.

"Killer Croc left a message, with a note to Batwoman to bring the stone or the old man gets it," the newscaster stated. "The authorities have no idea what it means but once we get more information, we'll be sure to bring it to you as more news breaks."

Helena knew what it meant and she knew that things were about to get even more intense.

Clark's expression was a mixture of determination and guilt.

* * *

"That beast best not double cross me," Cobblepot stated through gritted teeth as his men followed him.

The pigs had cleared out of the Iceberg Lounge which allowed Cobblepot to return. That stone, well it ramped up in value now that it was stolen out from underneath his nose. If someone wanted that ratty thing, it must have not been so ratty after all. The foul fowl stepped forward, his umbrella clutched in his hand.

His henchmen knew by now that it wasn't a good idea to get in his way, unless they wanted to get stabbed or shot.

Cobblepot saw that someone was there in his Lounge and he kept himself on edge. He knew by now that any unannounced visitors might mean trouble for him.

"Like what you've done with this place, Ozzie."

Cobblepot turned around as he saw a young man, bald, dressed in a business suit and he kept his eyes on the man before him. Lex locked eyes with the man before him.

"Lex, my old boy, it's been too long," Cobblepot stated as he reached forward and shook hands with Lex.

"Well, the time does fly by pretty fast," Lex commented to the man before him but he remained serious. "As much as I'd like to catch up about the old times, I'm here on a matter of business."

Cobblepot's corked an eyebrow as he focused his undivided attention on Lex, interested in what he had to say. There were a few seconds where things got extremely tense.

"Business did you say," Cobblepot whispered in a harsh tone of voice.

"I've heard word on the street as you've come into the possession of a stone of great power," Lex remarked to Cobblepot.

"Who told you that?" Cobblepot asked, he was on edge after everything tonight.

Lex could tell how tense this man was. "Ozzie, you're not the only one who's after the stones."

"Stones….as in plural?" Cobblepot asked, well now he was even more interested than he was before. Call him crazy but if there was a set, the value rose up.

"Yes, stones as in plural, my father is looking for them, as are the Teagues," Lex commented to Cobblepot as his expression fixed on the man.

"The Teagues!" Cobblepot squawked, if there was one family that he hated more than the Waynes it was the Teagues. He tried to keep himself steady and professional, even though it was hard to do so when hearing of those wretched people. "Lexy, tell me more about these stones."

"They're believed to hold unlimited knowledge and power," Lex informed Cobblepot and again Cobblepot's interest was grabbed. "I believe we could make a deal to make sure these stones don't fall into hands that are less than desirable."

Cobblepot's grin was wide, the truth was that he could trust a Luthor about as far as he could throw the Iceberg Lounge. Still desperate times called for strange bedfellows and Cobblepot's intrigue escalated even more.

"What do you purpose we do?'

**To Be Continued in Part Three. **


	20. Chapter 19: The Long Road Home

**Chapter Nineteen: "Gotham City Nights Part Three: The Road Home." **

"Your tracker, he could bungle things up," Lex warned Cobblepot as the two of them discussed the situation with the stone.

Cobblepot did not say anything although the look on his face said more than enough. His expression twisted into a very devious sneer as he kept his eyes locked onto that of the young billionaire in training before him. This young whelp, well he didn't know the first thing about the type of things that he did. This was not his first rodeo after all and he kept his expression locked onto Lex's.

"The guy might be crazy, but he's got a certain flair to him," Cobblepot thought, he could almost see the stones dancing in his eyes. "I'd help you get the other stones Lex….for a finder's fee of course."

Lex thought that Cobblepot had not changed since the moment he left private school. There was a sickening and despicable expression that crossed over his face as he kept things carefully mulling over in his mind. He was all about the money, not that Lex minded that but still this despicable individual was one that he would have to tread carefully around.

That was one he spoke to him in a diplomatic and calm tone of voice. "Find the stones and we'll talk about any payment."

Cobblepot's face twisted into a grimace as he nodded, he knew that he would have to have to acquire any money in advance before one of the stones entered the pocket of a Luthor, either of them. He would do business with them but they had a nasty ability to double deal anyone and they would sell their own mother's if they thought that they could make a profit.

His expression contorted into one that was pure nastiness as he tapped his umbrella on the ground as he turned on the news. If Croc was active and caused carnage, there was a chance that something like that would be brought up. His eyes flickered nastily off to the side as he watched the television screen along with Lex, the young man's eyes locked on the screen as both of them watched the broadcast.

"This just in, local police officer James Gordon has been kidnapped within his own home," the newscaster stated in a bright tone of voice and Lex raised an eyebrow as Cobblepot watched the screen with an amusement flashing through his eyes. He wrapped his hands around the umbrella as he tapped it on the ground. "Investigation states that this abduction has all of the hallmarks of known serial killer Waylon Jones, also known as Killer Croc. A former circus freak and underground caged fighter, Killer Croc has been known for his brutality and cannibalistic tendencies."

Lex's expression remained neutral although Cobblepot could tell that the bald young man was taking some time to choose his next set of words extremely carefully. The foul fowl watched as Lex continued to take his time in speaking, his gaze locked onto the man sitting before him. After a second, Lex spoke his mind as only a Luthor could.

"Well you know how to pick them, don't you, Ozzie?" Lex asked him in a calm voice. There was an undercurrent of mocking.

"Gordon….he's going to get the Bat involved," Cobblepot stated as he moved over with a gluttonous grunt escaping his lips. He could not believe how careless Croc was, after all he'd done for the man. Then again, one could not expect a savage like Waylon Jones to be capable of the same level of common decency that a trusted businessman like Oswald Cobblepot was.

"The Bat?" Lex asked in a curious tone of voice, wondering what they had to do with anything. He had heard rumors of urban legends in Gotham City. While Smallville had its share of absurdities, there was great deal of weirdness that was flowing out of Gotham City as well and Lex was not certain he was at ease with much of it.

"A long story but there's this bint who's dresses up in a bat suit and she's been giving my men some grief for the past year or so," Cobblepot stated as he held his umbrella. "I almost hate that bitch as much as I hate the Waynes."

The long standing family feud between the Waynes and the Cobblepots was legendary, just like the friendship between the Cobblepots and the Luthors. Well friendship might be a term that was cutting it rather close especially with these two but the point still stood there was something between the two of them that allowed them to work together and succeed when no one thought it was possible.

"I see," Lex commented, wondering if there was something in the water in Gotham City. Smallville could be attributed to the meteor shower that took place years back, the same that caused his hair to fall out.

This on the other hand, Lex was curious to see what happened.

"If you see the bat, shoot her on sight and bring her carcass to me, I want it stuffed and mounted," Cobblepot stated over the intercom to his men.

"Right, right, sure, sure, Mr. Cobblepot sir," the man stammered over the intercom, his tone shaky.

"Ah, am I making you nervous, son?" Cobblepot asked but there was no sound as Cobblepot's squawking laughter got even louder, as he got sick pleasure out of causing his goons to wet themselves. It was no less than they deserved. His amused grin was sharp as he faced Lex. "You might have a point."

Lex had no clue what to make of that but he kept nodding his head, arms folded over his chest tightly as he waited for another word to be given. His expression was kept stoic as he turned towards his old friend.

"So, what do we do next?" Lex asked.

"Let's see if he can turn up the stone," Cobblepot commented briskly as nastiness oozed from his voice. He was ready to punish anyone who did not come through for him and a big smelly croc was not going to stop him from cashing in.

* * *

"This is Croc's last known hideout."

Helena lead the way quietly down the tunnels, with Barbara following her, although she was nervously twitching and her eyes flickered over her shoulder. Clark, Kara, and Diana brought up the rear, nerves racking through their body as Kara turned over her shoulder before she spoke a few words.

"Would he come back here?"

Barbara's nerves were on edge and she nearly jumped into the air. She fell back, staggering but Clark caught her and held her up steady. She looked grateful for this.

"Easy does it, everything's going to be alright," Clark told her in a bold tone of voice, the type of tone that Barbara could not help but trust. She stood up firmly, allowing herself to rest in the arms for a moment.

Her suit was dark, with a black mask on, and her red hair was tied back. She kept edging through the sewers, her nose wrinkling as she made her way deeper into the depths. Her nerves were on a trigger but she refused to think that anything bad happened. Barbara had to keep up the hope that there was something that was going to work out for the best.

"I think that there's a chance that he might come back," Barbara commented as her ears listened carefully for any sounds and she tried to figure out the probability of that happening.

Diana's eyes widened and she felt a sickness come to her stomach as she saw several piles of bones and blood stains all on the ground. "Something….something tells me that we're not too far off."

"That's a good hunch," Kara commented as she smelled the decay in the air and yes that was blood, flesh blood that was in the air.

Clark heard the growling in the shadows and he could sense that there was someone down here. He tried to follow the trail, hoping to find the right lair or perhaps somewhere where he could get the jump on Killer Croc. He made his way further into the sewers.

"I know you're here," Croc growled and this caused them all to grow rigid and their tension to heighten even further. The scene was tense, something out of a horror movie to be honest. Diana, Clark, Kara, Barbara, and Helena all stood, brave, bold and ready to fight. "Don't be shy, come in, I'd love to have you all for dinner."

Kara cracked her knuckles, she'd love to see him try but to be honest, her nerves were becoming close to being shot. The blonde's expression flickered through and around as her arms folded one over the other. There was a sense that they were walking straight into the lion's den or rather it would be the Croc's lair.

Diana stepped on a skull that was on the ground. She paused, that was lovely. There were a few fragments on the ground of busted bones.

Barbara winced, she really hoped that none of these bones were her father's. She hated to think of the worst case scenario.

"Look," Kara stated as she grabbed Barbara around the sleeve and she poked her head up to see the individual that was hanging from the rafters above their heads.

Barbara felt a mixture of relief and despair as she saw James Gordon swaying back and forth above them. She did not know if he was alive.

"Is he…."

"I can hear his heartbeat," Clark informed her and Barbara was at ease but only slightly. Her father was what he was, bait for a trap and Helena stood to lean forward, she knew that they were potentially ambling into a trap, actually there was no potential about it.

"Stay alert," Helena warned them but there was a bubbling that came from beneath the water.

Diana dodged out of the way as Croc exploded from the water as he jumped up and landed with a splash on the other end. He circled them and his laughter could be heard from every single direction.

"You're in my little shop of horrors now," Croc growled as he continued to circle them, stalking his prey.

He went for Clark but Clark dodged out of the way at super speed. The monster landed on his feet and picked up a huge rock before he threw it at Clark.

Kal's eyes flashed in annoyance as he punched the rock and a second rock but Croc moved rather fast. He tried to grab Kal's ankles to pull him underneath the water but Kara rushed in and punted Croc in the face with a huge kick.

"You bitch!" Croc snapped in a fierce tone of voice.

Barbara's eyes followed everything and damn if her heart was not pummeling against her chest a million miles an hour. It was hard to keep herself from losing her mind with all of the nerves that coursed through her body.

Helena amplified the power of the shock knuckles on her glove, it should give the necessary electric pulse to really hammer Croc. She was going to drill him and pretty much knock the ball out of the park.

He came out of the water and Diana used her lasso to latch onto his mouth as she cracked her wrist then twisting a hundred eight degree she used her momentum to fling the monster into the air. Croc flew ass over tea kettle until he landed onto the pavement with a huge crack.

Clark super sped in but Croc grabbed him in a choke hold.

"Feed me, Seymour," Croc growled as he placed his hand over Clark's eyes.

Kal's body thrashed as he nailed Croc with a shot below the belt, grabbed him and hurled him halfway across the tunnels. Croc landed on his feet with a solid thump and his knees rattled together but he remained fighting.

"Burn!" Kal growled as he aimed his heat vision and caused the water to heat up underneath Croc.

He jumped up into the air and yelped and Kara was already behind him, aiming a kick into the back of his head. Croc flew head over heels and landed onto the ground.

He rolled over and Batwoman jumped in, her knuckles crackling with visible arcs of electricity and she sent a pulse of electricity through Croc's chest. This caused the crazy creature to slid back onto the ground, his knees knocking together furiously. His jaw snapped, trying to get a bite of the bat bitch but she moved out of the way.

Nightwing darted in and she busted a staff over Croc's foul face, with Diana taking his legs out from underneath him. The redhead female reached around and she tried to do a pivoting attack but her legs crumpled out from underneath her as she landed on the ground.

'_Fuck,' _Barbara thought to herself as she felt her knee twist around.

Croc's grin widened as he was about ready to stalk his prey but Kal scooped up Barbara and sprinted her out of the way.

"Where did you go?" Croc growled but Kal came from the other end of the sewer and rushed towards Croc.

The beast spun around and ate a sonic punch to the face. The monster screamed as Kara and Kal moved to either side of him before they clapped their hands together and caused Croc pain, blues, and agony as he staggered back as his ears started to bleed from the impact.

Diana knocked him back and Helena activated a sonic mine that she planted in the water.

Croc's head felt like it was going to split open and he started to bring the roof down.

"Get Gordon," Helena stated and Kara flew over, grabbed the half conscious cop as she sprinted out of the lair.

Croc gave a bellow but he found himself knocked around a little bit.

Ropes wrapped around his body and Helena held the monster in place. He struggled and squirmed but dropping to his knees, they knew that he was held in place.

"You'll pay for this," Croc commented as she clicked a button and a nearly lethal dose of electricity took Croc out.

It would not kill him but he would wish for death when he woke up in a nice padded cell. Hopefully they could hold Croc this time although Helena was not holding her breath.

* * *

James Gordon was more then a little shaken up, he would like to say that he had much worse but that was pain that was long since in the past. This pain was in the now as he placed the ice pack on his head.

"We should get you checked out for internal bleeding, Jim."

Gordon's face twisted into an expression that was one of stubbornness. "Damn it, I said I'm fine."

Granted, given all of the bones that he saw down there, he was not sure.

"Cobblepot hired Croc," Helena stated in a calm and stoic tone without any emotion.

Gordon did not even need to turn around to see that Batwoman was standing behind him. He was getting used to this person sneaking up on him.

"Being a vigilante and running afoul of giant croc men could get you killed," Gordon stated without even turning around.

A brief smile appeared on Helena's face, though it was hidden due to the fact she stood in the shadows. "No luck so far."

"Well, just keep it up and you might find that your luck will run out," Gordon remarked to the vigilante. Mysterious as she was, Gordon was happy to have her on his side. "There are too many people around so you should….go."

Gordon let out this last word as an afterthought as he found out that the person in question had already gotten up and gone. He shrugged and sat back down, that was just business as usual in Gotham.

Barbara watched, her knee sore but pretty much everything else was fine. Kara, Kal, and Diana joined them and Helena walked behind them before she got to the point in her usual no-nonsense tone of voice.

"Croc's being hauled off to Arkham Asylum where hopefully he'll remain for a long time," Helena stated and Kara, Kal, and Diana nodded. "Can't say that's a good thing."

"Well, why wouldn't it be, he's off the street and he won't hurt people?' Kal asked her.

Helena smiled even if it was an ironic one. He was brand new, so she supposed that she should cut him a little bit of slack for not being the most on the ball with this situation. "Arkham Asylum has one of the worst track records in the United States for helping their patients."

Chloe was the one who chimed in next, she had been quiet throughout the night, not wanting to distract Kal, Diana, and Kara as they did what they had to do.

'_Yeah….they're….really not good at helping people,' _Chloe remarked in a flat tone, she thought that would have hit the tip of the iceberg but she supposed that she should tell them even more. _'As in their track record….well it pretty much stinks.'_

'_Tell us how you really feel, Chloe,'_ Clark thought to her in amusement as both Diana and Clark were quite amused by her words.

"He'll be in there for a while, providing he doesn't escape by the end of the week and he'll be worse than ever," Helena commented in a tone that indicated that she was not happy about this but at the same time was determined to find a system that worked. Being relatively new to her crime fighting career, she was still a work in progress and determined to make certain aspects work, for better or for worse.

"So are you okay?" Clark asked her and Helena's expression flickered towards Clark's as her head inclined with a slight nod.

"Yes, I'm fine, for better or for worse," Helena stated as she placed a hand on her hip. She was a bit banged up but given that it was Croc, things could have gone a lot worse.

"Are you sure?" Clark asked to her.

"Yes, I'm sure, Kent," Helena stated as she offered him a stoic expression and a tone that indicated that it would be in best interests of his health to drop the subject before she dropped him to the ground. The dark haired female kept her expression calm.

Barbara watched Kal, she had been getting tingles all night being up close to him in close proximity and she saw this red flare flash through his eyes. Helena was feeling the same thing and Barbara could tell, hence why she was so annoyed by what happened.

"How's your knee?" Kara asked her and Barbara was snapped out of dream land.

"Well like Helena, I've had worse, but it could be better," Barbara said, careful not to put too much sudden weight on it. It was a bit sore as she tried to keep her expression rather focused as she ambled forward. She kept herself on her knee and continued to shift herself forward a tiny bit.

"Here," Kara stated as she rolled back the pant leg of her outfit and started to rub it in circular motions.

Barbara was taken off guard by this unexpected and quite pleasurable action. Her leg felt better but there was a tingling in another part of her body.

"I should thank….um, Clark wasn't it, for saving me, because if he didn't, I would have been Croc kibble," Barbara remarked to Kara and the blonde's expression twisted into a smile as she kept working the knee.

"You can thank him when you get back to the cave, I'm sure that he'd appreciate it," Kara remarked with a knowing expression and smile.

Helena turned her attention away, as she turned towards Diana and Clark. The three of them stood high above where they were, there were people going into the Iceberg Lounge.

"What's he doing here?" Clark asked as he heard the snatches of conversation and Lex's unmistakable tone of voice.

"You're referring to Lex Luthor, I take it," Helena commented in a crisp voice.

"You know him?" Clark asked and Helena's face was blank as a slate as she placed her hands on her hips as she turned around and looked out in the city. There was a dismissive and calm tone of voice that came through her mouth before she commented in two simple words.

"We've met."

Clark did not even know what to think about that. Diana was equally confused.

'_I'm sensing the two of them have some kind of past together,' _Chloe remarked with a shrug as she wondered about it but she supposed that they would find out before too long what she would do before long.

'_You think,' _Kara thought but she smiled as it was time for them to head back to the cave.

* * *

"So after all that, you're just going to hand it back to me, like that," Clark offered Helena and the woman's arms folded over her chest as she stared back at Clark. There was some tension between the two of them and it could be cut with a knife. Yet the third and final stone was in Kal's hand and Helena hovered it over him and she dropped it back into his hand in good grace.

"You're really giving this to me?" Clark asked, as he was unable to believe his good fortune as the stone had finally been placed in his hand. He thought that things were actually going fairly well for once, especially all of the trouble they had to get their hands on the second stone.

Helena could sense his surprise and she had no idea why she was handing over the stone but she figured that given that it was his birth right, it was just as well. And given that he gave her a huge amount of assistance in taking Croc down, this was a good enough measure to ensure that their debts were cleared.

"I'm giving the stone to you," Helena confirmed as she watched the stone in her hand. "You said that they were never meant to be held by humans but your kind….they might have not been meant to hold them as well. Your father put them on this world for a reason but you need to find your own reason to use them."

A smile spread over Clark's face, he would use them well.

"Don't worry, I'll use them the right way," Clark told Helena and Helena's glance fixed on him in a stoic manner.

"I hope you're right in what you're doing," Helena offered to him, she was crossing her fingers that Clark was going to be responsible with those powers.

"Don't worry, he will, I'll make sure he will and his mother will as well," Kara remarked to Helena and Helena's expression remained fixed and firm.

"Well, I hope that I never have to use certain measures that involve taking the two of you out," Helena offered but Clark's expression fixed into one that was smug. Kal shined through behind his eyes as he stared down Helena.

"Well, I'd welcome you to try, but I don't think that you'd succeed," Clark commented and she once again locked eyes with him, a frustrated expression on her face before she spoke in a calm and collected manner.

"Are you always this arrogant or are you personally out to rile me up?" Helena asked to him in a crisp tone of voice as Diana looked very amused but did not say anything.

"Well, it's nice to see that I can rile you up," Kal remarked and Helena's expression just remained blank. She was not about to let some Kansas farm boy get her hot and bothered, not now.

"Yes, I'll see you later, I've got a board meeting….if you need anything, ask Alfred," Helena remarked as she walked off.

She read the journals, from back to front, notes that had been taken over the years. The Wayne heiress also cross referenced more research than could be considered to be sane in her quest to figure out exactly what made the mysterious Traveler tick. There were many societies who believed that he was coming and he could be a harbinger of goodness or a harbinger of the end of all life on Earth.

Helena thought that all of these theories were out of it, she knew that Clark Kent was the Harbinger of one thing. And that was causing her an extreme amount of annoyance. She made her way off, changing into the scatter brained heiress persona that was the exact opposite of the competent crime fighter as she stormed up the stairs and out of the way.

"I think you've made an impression on her," Alfred remarked as he spun around with stiff dignity and took the tea tray up the stairs.

Barbara Gordon eyed him with a smile as she wondered how repressed or potentially how in denial Helena had to be to miss getting herself a part of this. It was not rocket science either, even though Barbara would not consider herself to be a major in that. Still, despite not being the model of tact, he was fairly good looking.

She winced slightly.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked as he spun around to face her and Barbara's smile grew wider, although she leaned back enough to hide it and give herself a few seconds to keep her expression even more calm.

"I'm fine," Barbara informed Clark as she tried to roll her shoulders. "Do you think you could….spot there on my neck is a little bit sore?"

"Right here," Clark commented and he grabbed her neck as he began to massage it. "Right here, like that?"

"Yes, like that," Barbara breathed as she began to feel his strong hands work over her. That was the price of being a crime fighter, all kinds of bumps and bruises that most people who run off to the doctor for because they couldn't handle the heat. For Barbara, she got up and went the next day, even though her body was screaming at her that she should take now more.

Clark's hands started to roam all over her body and this caused a fluttering of desire to flicker through her eyes. Barbara thought that she was about to lose her mind as his talented hands moved over her.

There was no fury on earth as strong as the Red Kryptonite and that signal flashed through Clark's eyes so it was on. He moved around her body.

"I should take your top off, to deal with the circulation," Kal told her as his lips were up against her.

Barbara lifted her hips up subconsciously as she twisted her head to face him with lust dripping from her eyes and voice.

"Yes, strip me, it might feel better."

Clark slowly pulled the top off of her to reveal her toned upper body. There was some minimal scarring there but she was still beautiful. Her red hair framed her face gorgeously, along with a cute nose, and luscious lips. Her slender shoulders moved down along with a smooth and creamy back with freckles on her shoulder blades. It was a delicious sight to hold and he moved down, seeing her breasts, along with her amazing cleavage and flat stomach, toned and hot.

"We should take my bottoms off, for symmetry," Barbara commented and he pulled the tight pants that she was wearing.

"Damn, you're hot," Kal commented to her as he saw her panties cling to her as her legs could travel down for miles. His hands ran down her legs to the arches of her elegant legs as he massaged them and worked over the soreness.

"Yes, that feels good, feels really good," Barbara panted as Kal's lips met hers in a burning kiss.

Speaking of feeling good, yes this felt good. He sat down and lifted her up as she positioned herself on his lap. She ground her crotch into his and pressed herself forward. He kissed her and kept kissing her, the two of them connecting with each other as their tongue's met each other, their tongues dancing, battling for domination.

Kara and Diana watched and the two of them decided to amuse themselves as the Red Kryptonite effect spread through the cave.

**Smut/Lemon Begins.**

-PROFILE-

**Smut/Lemon Ends.**

Needless to say, when Helena looked at the security footage, she would get quite the show.

* * *

"So we did it, I can't believe it, we actually did it," Clark remarked as he made his way to the cave, the stone in his hand. He would be coming back to Gotham City to visit every now and then.

"Don't think we're completely out of the woods yet," Kara told him, she would have liked to think that everything was going to be just fine but after all this time, she knew better, she really knew better. The blonde's eyes widened as she made her way forward.

'_Guys, we have a problem,' _Chloe thought to them.

'_I hate it when I'm right,' _Kara thought as she wondered what was happening now. There was something around the cave and she hovered nervously above it, swaying in the air. The blonde's expression continued to dance wildly.

Diana saw what was happening around the cave and she realized that it might be more than a little bit difficult to find their way back into the cave. Her blue eyes danced with fury as she watched the area around the cave, her hands placed on her hips. She continued to stare everything down and wondered what was going on.

"So….what are they doing?" Diana asked.

"Make sure that no one gets out of this cave until we figure out what's in here," Lionel told a man in military fatigues as they walked around the cave. He nodded gruffly as Kal and the girls all looked around. "Too many people are going in and I want to know why, I want to know why they're doing what they're doing."

Kara, Clark, and Diana all exchanged expressions that indicated that they were going to have a tough time. The temporary restraining order that Karen had must have not worked out that well or Lionel had found a way to grease some wheels.

'_We need to find a way to get the final stone into the cave,' _Lara thought to them all and she figured this would be the luck of Kal. His father had imparted a certain amount of misfortune from beyond the grave. _'If you can do that, we can begin your training.'_

'_Do you think I'm ready?' _Kal asked with doubts swimming in his mind.

'_The fact that you're asking that question may indicate how ready you truly are,' _Lara thought but she frowned.

Her body was nearly ready, the Fortress was almost built, but Lionel's interference could cause problems.

They needed to focus on a plan and soon.

**To Be Continued in "Beacon."**


	21. Chapter 20: Beacon

**Chapter Twenty: Beacon.**

"Do I even have to start talking about how tempting it is to take out this guy right here and now?"

Kal thought about Lionel Luthor and all the problems that the middle age man put him through. He thought about everything that he had been going through and knew that was headache inducing. His fingers twitched and he envisioned wrapping his hands around Lionel's throat.

Thankfully, sanity was something that balanced out and the fact that Kara and Diana were able to hold him back, that proved to be good as well. Neither girl was happy with the situation either, given how close that they were for taking the stones and uniting them. The longer they waited, the longer that something could happen and go awfully wrong. Both tried to keep calm but that was how things were panning out.

"Tempting, yes," Diana remarked as she gripped her arm around Kal and turned towards him with a frustrated expression etched on her own face. "And it would be tempting if not for the fact that it would cause us to be found out."

Kal hated to admit that she was right but the fact was that she was right .Kara cupped a hand underneath her chin and she eyed the men around. It was one of those situations that were difficult but it might doable if they figured out a way around this.

"I think if we beat Lionel Luthor at his own game, we might be able to get control of the caves," Kara remarked to herself as she threw her head back and her hair flew in her face. Frustratingly, she blew on it. "I don't see why we shouldn't just go in there at super speed and…."

'_If they get any hint of what's happening, they could track where the Fortress is and everything will be for nothing,' _Lara thought to them and Kal cupped his hand to his chest as he thought about it.

"Damn it," Kal swore, he could not believe this, after all the trouble that they went through with getting the stone, they were getting hosed, no question about. If he put his mind to it, there was no way he could come up with a worse case scenario although there were more than a few.

"Calm down, Kal," Diana stated as she placed her arm around his waist and pulled him towards her. She sympathized with his frustrations, she really did but getting upset was not about to solve anything. In fact, it would make an already frustrating scenario even more so and the Princess had her mind mulling over all parts in her mind.

"We could get in….no we couldn't," Kal thought to himself as he placed his hand on his chest but he found a hand clasp the back of his shoulder.

Instinctively, he turned around about ready to take out the person who had snuck up from behind him. His fist was already balled as he faced Karen who backed up and threw her hands up in frustration.

"Hey, hey, I come in piece, don't shoot,' Karen commented as she kept her hands up towards him, the blonde's smile getting rather wide across her face. "I don't….I don't know what's gotten into you today…."

"Luthor, cave, Luthor, bad," Kara remarked to her and Karen grinned.

"Short and to the point, I approve," Karen offered to her younger counterpart as the group continued to wave, as she could sense Kal's tensions getting higher. "I've been looking into the caves, almost waiting for Lionel to slip up, getting something more permanent than the temporary restraining order that I had."

And that was not the only thing that she was looking at regarding Luthorcorp, but it was one step at a time. The fact was Lionel Luthor was getting closer and closer to losing what passed as sanity for him. Karen was almost terrified at his fleeting grip and there were rumors that he was not in the best health in the world.

"None of us can be seen here, especially you and with that stone,' Karen remarked as her eyes scanned over his face and saw his frustration. "Luthor's lost it, he's obsessed."

"That seems to run in the family," Kara muttered, thinking of the snatches of conversation that she heard from the younger Luthor. She was not going to lie, there was something about all the Luthors that made her nervous and caused a type of fierce protectiveness to manifest through her.

"How desperate is he, on a scale of one to ten?" Diana asked Karen and the blonde's expressions turned to a humorless grimace as she told Diana.

"A twelve, twelve and a half, maybe," Karen informed her and Diana's breath was let in and out of her with a hitch. "We've got to keep it cool for a couple of days."

Clark found a fundamental flaw in that and his expression twisted towards Karen as he told her why he was agitated. "There's the stone…."

"Yes, Kal-El, I know you have it,' Karen remarked as she reached her arms forward and placed a hand on his waist and another on his hand that had the stone clutched into it. "It's frustrating isn't it, coming so close to achieving your birth right, yet having it snatched out from underneath you, like a tormented twisted terror."

Kal thought he would not be that wordy with things but damned if she had not slammed her hand right upon the nail. She hit it square on the head. As much as he hated to admit it, patience was not his strong suit.

"If we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this by the book," Karen remarked to the three of them and they nodded. The trio exchanged nervous gazes as they kept their attentions locked onto each other.

"So….what are you doing?" Kal asked.

Karen looked into the briefcase of the information that she found and she flipped through everything. It was hard to beat Lionel at his own game but she spent a lot of time studying the man and how he worked. Some of the most painful losses could lead to someone losing without taking a single punch to the face.

"I'm going to take down Lionel Luthor," Karen told them and now they were both excited and scared.

* * *

"You're dealing with a master chess player," Chloe concluded as she sat around with Karen, Clark, Kara, and Diana. She was not going to lie, she might be bold but going up against Lionel Luthor was not a very fun thought. Her stomach was really rumbling with the butterflies and they had giant wings that flapped against the side of her. The blonde placed her hands towards her mouth and began to bite on her nails, feeling fierce and determination spreading through her face.

"I know that, you know that, we all know what Lionel is," Karen commented as she flipped through the folder, the information that she got through STARR labs and that Patricia's father had gotten ahold of. "Lionel's like a wounded animal right now. We attack him, we got to make it count. If we get him in a corner too far, he's going to lash out and that's going to be the end of us."

Kal thought of the worst case scenario through his mind's eye as he kept the stone in his hand. He could not think enough how close they were to uniting the stones and Kara saw his frustration.

"It's just another delay, don't worry about it," Kara informed Kal and the Kryptonian's head nodded down, he placed his hands firmly on the table as he started to breath heavily. He twisted her expression towards hers as she placed a pair of hands upon his. "Strength comes not from winning all of the time but…."

"From how well you fight adversity," Kal concluded for her.

Kara's smile became tense. "So you've heard that one as well."

Kal heard it already, it was pounded into his own head so much that he thought he was going to get a headache about it. It was something that was extremely true but he did not want to think about what could go wrong. So much had gone right but everything else could go wrong with these stones being ripped from his hands.

"I'm not done yet," Kal offered to them and Chloe smiled.

"That's the attitude that I like to hear," Chloe informed them as she clasped her hands together but there was a sense of nervousness that went over her mind. There was a chance that this could all come crashing together.

"I'm glad that you have that attitude as well….just a second," Karen said as there was a phone from the other room and it was an important call that she had to answer.

Kara impatiently drummed her fingers off the edge of the table, she thought things were moving at a snail's pace and her nerves fired up even greater. The blonde's expression continued to turn more sour as Kal's gaze locked onto hers.

"Just thinking about what would happen if that…if he gets his hands on the stones," Kara remarked as Kal grabbed her around the wrists.

"Don't worry about it, we're going to win," Kal offered to her and Kara smiled as she leaned her head back, allowing it to fall onto his head for a brief second. She was sliding off the chair and in deep pondering thought. The blonde hoped that things were going to run for the best and not for the worst but she could not think of the worst predicament that she had been put in, no matter how much she tried.

"I know we're going to win, I have a lot of faith in that," Kara informed Kal as the blonde kept her expression quite intense and focused. She wondered what Karen was talking about or to in the other room. It was taking every fiber of her control not to listen in on the conversation with her super hearing. The blonde's nerves rocked her body and she raised her hands into the air, in an attempt to make it like that she was not too anxious.

Chloe was whistling as she looked out the meeting room that she was. It was a nice office building as well but she was getting impatient.

"I know, but we're going to have to wait until she tells us," Diana remarked, she had faith that everything was going to work out fine. Then again, she could not afford to be pessimistic in the back of her mind.

Kal pondered everything but he did not have much time to ponder as Karen showed up, with a wide smile on her face. It looked like she had hit the lottery, every single lottery ever known to man in fact, really hitting the jackpot. The blonde's expression spun towards Kal, Kara, Chloe, and Diana and the four of them got up.

"You've got one of those shit eating grins on your face," Chloe remarked, as she pondered what that meant. It could mean any number of things and the smaller blonde was contemplating them all. The blonde's eyes looked towards the bustier blonde that was standing in front of her.

"Lionel's….well I think it's easy to tell that he's stepped on more than a few important toes on his way to the top," Karen informed them and Kal gave her a look that told her all about how he was not surprised. "Yeah I know, tell me about it but….the fact of the matter is…."

Kara was not one to be patient, especially with herself so she placed her hand on the table and locked eyes with Karen. Time ticked by and seemed like an eternity as she threw her head back, frustration beyond all believe mounting through her.

"Spit it out, please," Kara told Karen to the point where she was demanding.

Karen grinned, she enjoyed allowing the sword hanging over their heads for a few seconds.

Although nothing to her was going to be like the same sword that was about to decapitate Lionel Luthor in a matter of moments.

The fact of the matter was that every contract, every agreement, it had a loophole, and Karen found hers. She was about to close it around Lionel Luthor's foul head.

* * *

Lionel Luthor's mouth spread into a wide grin that would strike terror into the hearts of many men and women who gazed upon it. His eyes flickered angry as he turned around to see the area around the cave. His expression was one of amusement as he stepped into the cave, with two of his goons.

"There must be something inside, they're hiding them here, I know it," Lionel whispered to them and the muscled goons watched with widened eyes.

"Hiding what here?"

Lionel turned his head around and he saw Lex standing behind him. His son stared him down and there was once again a twitch of his eye. The young man's bloodshot eyes ran over Lionel's face and Lionel crossed his arms as he stared his son down. Both stared each other down and kept trying to be the one who would not give up the round.

"Lex, I'm afraid that this isn't your concern," Lionel said to him.

"Actually it is, the board of directors are fairly concerned with your health and your obsessions over mystical artifacts," Lex told Lionel as he stood forward. "There has been evidence presented to them just this morning that….you're just not well."

"I'm not well, I'm fine," Lionel stated as he felt a stabbing pain through his side. He gripped the wall and twisted his expression towards Lex, blinking a slight amount of the way and his face contorted into a grimace. His stomach felt on the edge of exploding in a stabbing amount of pain as he twisted his eyes towards his son.

His son might as well be his enemy.

"The Board thinks differently and the company approved doctor thinks that you might be cracking underneath the strain of running the company, therefore, this order….states that you're no longer welcomed at Luthorcorp," Lex told him as he slapped the very official legal document in Lionel's hand.

Lionel snatched the legal document from his son's possession, a look of disbelief flowing from his eyes. He crunched the document in his hands, his anger swelling in him as he kept his eyes locked onto the damned document. He read it over line by line, smoothing it over so he could see it properly. He could not believe his son would go to these lengths but despite all that, he had never felt a stronger mixture of pride and anger as he read over the document. His lips moved.

Lex thought that there was nothing personal regarding this ousting, there was a time where he had to step up and displace his father. He basked in the glory as he waited for his father's reaction.

Lionel lifted his hands and slowly clapped over and over again. Lex watched him clap, it was slow and sarcastic. It was almost to the point where he had no idea if he should feel good or not that his father was actually showing praise. There was something more than underhanded about his clapping and the tone that spat out of his father's mouth was condescending as anything Lex heard.

"Bravo Lex, Bravo," Lionel remarked as he kept clapping his hands together, the smile crossing his face, which got even wider. "I could not even….well hats off to you son."

Lionel stepped forward and offered Lex a handshake. Lex, raising an eyebrow, took it but there was a sense that he was shaking hands with a snake that could lash out and chew out his throat at any single second.

"You've done….well done actually," Lionel commented in a brisk tone as he shifted his foot over and he leaned towards his son. "You know, I never thought that you would stoop so low, getting some doctor to hand over my confidential information and pass it on to the board of directors. Those vultures have been looking for an excuse to oust me for years, but you did it Lex, you gave it to them. They were like a dog with a bone for this. Bravo."

Lionel clapped his hands slowly and loudly.

"Bravo."

Lex knew his father's sarcasm was going to be followed up by criticism of some sort.

"But….you fed them this, and they are the type that will bite the hand that fed them, so I wouldn't get too comfortable with your new role as the CEO of Luthorcorp," Lionel remarked as he tapped his hand on his son's. "You see, even after I'm in the grave, I'll be laughing at you."

Lex thought that this was an extremely blunt statement being given by his father.

"You see, you returned from marriage, and whilst it changes you, not this much," Lionel commented and he made a motion but two bodyguards stood in front of him. Lionel lifted his hands up and pretended he was not going to attack him, even though there was a sense that he was going to do. "I might not be well from a physical perspective but son….you're working too hard. Your obsessions will be your downfall."

"I'll be the judge of that," Lex remarked to Lionel as he tapped his fingers across the edge of the door and kept his expression stoic. The man remained crisp and cool as both stared down at each other, neither backing up from what they were saying with each other. It was obvious that one was waiting for the other to slip up. "You have seventy two hours to clear you and your goons away from the cave, because I've sold it and the rights of it."

"To who," Lionel remarked as his glare flared towards Lex.

Lex looked like the cat that swallowed the canary as he kept his eyes locked onto his father's and he responded in a cold tone. "That's for me to you know and you to never find out. I'd also like your desk to be cleared out by Monday morning and I wish you the best in all of your future endeavors."

Lionel watched Lex and there was one thing his statement said and Lex knew it. He thought that he could read his father better than anyone by now. He did not allow his eyes to go off of his father. He wouldn't turn his back on him.

Karen watched from the shadows and smiled. She manipulated the Luthors against each other like chess pieces. Picking up a thing or two from watching them had served her all too well.

She had the stone secured as Clark, Kara, Chloe, and Diana all waited. Phase one of her plan to ruin the Luthors began.

There was another person who could help her but she would wait to see what would happen next.

* * *

Night had fallen on Smallville as the group made their way towards the caves. Clark could not believe that this was happening and neither did Kara really.

'_Did you have any doubts?' _Lara thought to them. The only thing that would be left in the caves would be her body and she was almost ninety five percent downloaded into it, her memories, her personality, everything in this body. There would be a copy of herself at the Fortress and then there would be a copy in this body.

Jor-El left the resource down here, so she was not about to let it go to waste.

"Maybe a little bit," Clark commented but he shook his head.

Everyone abandoned the cave and Clark turned towards Karen, the blonde placing her hands on her hips and a smile crossed her face.

"You can thank me later, in detail," Karen commented to Clark and the blonde's wide smile and expressive eyes fixed onto his face.

Clark knew that he had to do the honors. There was two stones in the slot and he had a third one. He could feel it glowing, he could feel his birthright beckoning out to him. All he had to do was slide the stone in and everything would come together. The Last Son of Krypton slipped his way forward and he tapped his hands on the pedestal.

Destiny was not a word that he would throw around loosely but never the less it was something that he was going after. He was about to hold it in his hands, hold the destiny that was in place for him. His eyes flickered as he saw the Kryptonian symbols flashing in the back of his eyes. He turned the rock over in his hand and smiled as he rattled the stone in his hand. He was about ready to slide the stone into the slot, that's all he had to do to bring everything to life. He flipped it over.

'_Now is the time,' _Kal thought to himself as he inserted the final stone.

There was a flash of light as Kal, Kara, Karen, Diana, and Chloe all were engulfed by the flash of light by the stones. They could sense them merging together into a glowing crystal as they were being brought from the caves. Light engulfed the five of them as they were drawn from it, as the symbols began to lose light as the traces of Lara were gone. There was a copy of her but that would join them in time.

The four females and Clark made their way into the Arctic. The cool winds blew in their face but the group was going to make their way forward. They were not about to be taken down by the Arctic winds around them.

"Wow," Chloe breathed as she saw the Fortress crystal spiral in the air, sending out bright blue lights all around them.

"Wow is correct," Clark commented to her as he placed an arm around her and watched everything. The blonde was watching the progress as the Fortress began to manifest. Crystals appeared around the inside area.

'_As you go in, you'll see that Jor-El designed this,' _Lara remarked to them.

'_You mean it has no personality and it's utterly frustrating to deal with,' _Kara thought to her and Lara paused before she commented.

'_Exactly,' _Lara concluded through them. The blonde's felt herself forming into the Fortress. Thankfully the lock out of Jor-El continued to work. As long as there were no nasty tricks, she should be able to do anything.

The group saw the magnificent crystal Fortress appeared around them. Kara, Karen, Diana, Chloe, and Kal stepped forward as the entrance of the Fortress manifested itself.

"I believe that you can be allowed through, if I'm with you," Kal remarked but he was not one hundred percent sure. It was just something that popped into the back of her mind. Kara turned towards him and the blonde Kryptonian watched her as she clutched her hands together.

"Yes, that's right, it's your birthright, the power is coursing through you, and to the Fortress," Kara said as she kept her eyes focused and she drank in everything in the Fortress.

There were symbols all around the Fortress and all of them looked around. Kal stepped inside and saw the symbols around him. It was quite amazing and he could not believe it. It was overwhelming and all of the information in this Fortress would be his.

"In due time, Kal-El," Lara told her son, calmly as a holographic image of the woman appeared. She stood there in all of her beauty, with gold blonde hair hanging down and framing her face. Her tight body was covered with the white robes and he turned around, with her rear being displayed to them, as she bent over to check to make sure everything was in working order in the Fortress. "You will learn everything that is in this Fortress, you will learn about the history of all of the galaxies, your powers, and how to use them."

"Does that include unassisted flight?" Kara asked, unable to resist and Kal turned towards her but the blonde shrugged her shoulders. She shook her head as the blonde's expression widened.

"It includes that and more, much more, powers that even Jor-El would not have taught you but they will come in time," Lara commented as she reached forward and the holographic image touched Kal's cheek. The blonde smiled. "But I must remind you about a saying that humans have regarding power and responsibility that you need to understand."

"I understand," Kal remarked as Lara nodded.

Chloe checked her watch. "I better get going….given what's happened with Lana, it's unwise to leave her unattended for too long."

"So how's the training going?" Kara asked to the blonde as she placed her hands on her hips.

The smaller blonde smiled. "It's going well."

"Best of luck to you then," Diana remarked, she had to know that this might was going to end a lot better than her mother's training with Circe. The dark haired woman thought about this and thought that she might have to pop by for a visit. "So Kal….when we're done here, how about we swing by the island?"

"That would be great," Kal stated as he took some time tour the Fortress.

"See you later, Clark," Chloe commented as she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. She turned around on her heel and rushed forward back to Smallville as fast as her feet could take her.

* * *

The Fortress of Solitude being put up caused a wave of energy that might not be picked up by many human means. It was strong certainly but it was brief enough and strange enough that nothing could match it. It could not be tracked never the less and everyone who saw it had just chalked it up to an interdimensional anomaly that could not be tracked by Earthly means.

Despite the fact that no humans on Earth could track it, that no one could find it, there was a person who did find it. There was a few seconds where everything came undone as there was a flash of light, around the area of the caves in Smallville. The person traveled an extremely long way to get where she was.

Her red hair flowed down her back and her rosy red lips pursed as she placed a pair of strong hands on her thighs. The woman stood firmly on the ground.

She was extremely tall with the flowing red hair that framed her beautiful face. Her green eyes were filled with an allure that was strong and would stand out in a crowd. Her red lips pursed together as her face was just utterly sexy. Her entire frame radiated sex. Her sensual yet muscular form stepped forward. Her green top wrapped around her ample breasts, with a toned midsection. Her bottom top could be classified as little more than a belt.

It covered her amazing legs as she stepped forward. She was tall and amazing, she dripped an amazing allure and there was a pair of green boots that covered her feet. She stood as she looked around and clasped her hand together, with a smile across her face.

"He's summoned me, I can sense it," she stated as she thought about him, what he would be like, and what she would receive.

She was Queen Maxima, the holder of the throne of Almerac. She had searched long and wide for a suitable mate for her throne and she had found it as she stepped forward towards the caves. She sensed that it was near. Her green eyes kept flickering as she edged herself forward on the ground as she stepped around and she clasped her hands.

"Soon, I'm coming for you," Maxima commented as she could sense that he was around.

She longed for a strong mate, someone who could match her, someone who would not break if she was in the moments of intimacy. She had heard rumors, whispers about someone who could potentially match her. A smile crossed her face as she thought about it. For long she ruled over a kingdom but her hold over it was waning. Her subjects were not as prominent as they used to be. She needed someone strong to stand side by side with, that would be high on her list of priorities.

Someone that she could love and someone that could handle all of the love that she could give to them, that was what she longed for.

It was not easy to say the very least to find someone who could handle her and everything that she had to offer. Maxima felt the sexual frustration wash over her as she could tell that he was here or at least he was once here.

"Someone strong, someone durable," Maxima commented as she looked out in this quaint farm village.

It was not the thing that she thought of first of all as she contemplated a regal setting but then she thought of it. It cause him to grow strong, bold, and be able to satisfy her every need, treat her like the royalty she was.

'_And our children will be beautiful,' _Maxima thought to herself but before she decided to take that step, she wanted to sample the goods. The redhead woman kept walking forward in pursuit to him.

She waited a long time and her impatience was reaching a fever pitch. The wind blew in her hair and if someone came by, she would seal how a tantalizing sight to see that she was. The Queen placed a hand on her hip as she zoomed forward at the speed of light.

She sensed a piece of him near but she wanted the entire package, something she could wrap her hands around and handle quite handsomely.

'_Soon my love, I will come for you,' _Maxima considered as she placed her fingers on her mouth and ran her tongue around them, blinking a few seconds as she shifted her stance around, her red hair framed her face.

She was ready to claim her king.

**To Be Continue in "Empress."**


	22. Chapter 21: Empress

**Chapter Twenty One: Empress.**

Kal could spend hours and hours exploring the Fortress but it was far more than a sight to see.

"That's amazing when you think about it, thousands of planets with sentient life in all of the twenty eight galaxies," Kal remarked with wide eyed encouragement and his mother's hologram smiled.

"And not all of them friendly, Krypton has had their share of….issues with many of them and I fear that the sins of the planet will be visited upon the final survivors but we've had our fair share of allies," Lara remarked to Kal calmly. "Jor-El had a friend from Mars that was supposed to be watching over you."

Kal only regarded the with the most mild amount of interest and he stepped back a half of a step with a smile as Kara walked towards him. The blonde had a wide smile on her face.

Diana left to go out but she would be back. Karen had some work to do and Chloe was off. This left Kal and Kara to have some alone time with each other and both stared each other down, bright smiles etched on their faces.

"Okay, Kal, show me what you've got," Kara told him and Kal smiled back at her. "This is a simple, sparring exercise. No active powers like heat vision, super speed, or anything like that, just hand to hand combat."

"Think you can handle it?" Kal asked and Kara smiled as the Fortress was bathed with red solar radiation. "What's that?"

"Something to tip the scales to make things more interesting," Kara said to him with her smile growing wide. She stood in a battle stance and motioned for Kal to come forward. "I'm ready when you are, babe."

Kal smiled as he rushed towards Kara but the blonde dodged the attack. She grabbed his arm and twisted it back behind his back, as she buried a kick to the back of his knee cap and caused him down to go down to the crowd with a loud crash.

The blonde smiled as she waved to Kal.

"Kal, do try not to telegraph your attacks and remember, the red solar radiation only blocks out most of your powers," Lara advised him and Kal's hands clutched together as he charged Kara once more.

Kara dodged the attack, ducking and rolling underneath the attack. Clark kept up a steady attack and the blond kept dodging him. His steady assaults were blocked, ducked, pivoted, and avoided. The blonde jumped up over him and grabbed him from behind.

Kal elbowed out.

"Remember, hit me with everything you've got or I'll hit you with worse," Kara warned him and Kal grabbed her and hurled her to the ground.

Kara smiled, that was what she wanted to see. If Kal was going to be a gentleman, well she was going to kick his ass for it. The blonde got back to her feet and went for a punch but Kal blocked it.

"Learning my movements, that's good, how about this one?" Kara asked as she swept Kal's leg out from underneath him. She tried to pin him on the ground.

Kal used his momentum to grab Kara by the arm and throw her to the ground where he rolled on top of her.

"I think that I'm the one that's gotten you this round," Kal breathed in her ear and Kara smiled as she reached her hand down her pants and started stroking him.

"Hey Kara that's…."

Kara reversed the positioning and caused Kal to fly across the Fortress. She pinned him onto the ground and the blonde sat across his hips, holding his arms back and had him in a fairly compromising position. She pressed her lips onto his and he returned the pleasure, as Kal maneuvered his hands to her backside. The blonde closed her eyes and felt the pleasure rushing into both of them, the Red Kryptonite side effect's hammering into their young bodies.

They would have gone further, gone all the way, if it was not for Lara clearing her throat. Kara pulled herself up, from Kal, her lips swollen and scratches all over his face and arms. His shirt and pants were nearly off.

"I know, training exercise, but you have to admit, it's a really great way to end a fight," Kara commented as she squeezed Kal around the arm, and curled up onto his lap, resting her head on his shoulder all in one fluid motion.

She was not anywhere near willing to get out of there and Lara's tone became amused as the chuckle appeared and then faded from her form.

"Yes, Kara, I understand," Lara said as she smiled and sighed. "But….there's a bit of a problem, regarding something that the two of you need to deal with."

"And that is…."

Lara was only too happy to let the two of them in on the secret.

"There was a beacon from the Fortress, it was small but someone picked it up," Lara informed the two of them.

"Is this someone friendly or not?" Kal asked Lara and there was a flicker of a smile that passed over her face.

"It really boils down to what your definition of friendly turns out to be," Lara informed her son and now Clark was more than curious. His eyes swam with so much intensity that even Lara was taken aback for a little bit. The blonde paused and told her son more of what she learned. "The fact of the matter is….she's a visitor for an alien planet as well."

"You aren't telling me who I think that you're telling me, are you?" Kara asked as she let out a sigh.

"The Queen of the Planet Alamerac is here," Lara informed both of the Kryptonians in the Fortress and there was a surprising amount of seriousness that flickered through her eyes. "Maxima is her name and she's looking for the one that can survive her affections, which are extremely prolific."

Kal smiled, as a man he was intrigued by this.

"You must find her before she decides to utilize her allure on human men, because they will not survive the experience," Lara remarked to her son and she continued in a stern tone. "You know what you must do, Kal-El."

Kal knew what he needed to do.

* * *

Maxima's eyes traveled over the depictions on the cave walls, her smile got wider as she ran them over in her mind. There was no shadow of a doubt what the significance of these pictures meant. It was in black and white and she had her hand pressed on the edge of them.

'_He's here,' _Maxima thought in excitement as she could hardly contain herself but being a regal queen, she was able to do so. The red hair flipped into her face and framed her face to make it quite alluring. Her beautiful face was a sight to behold and she stood, prepared for her conquest.

She knew this altar contained power and it would be worthy of someone such as her soul mate. All she needed to do as wait for him to come.

"I don't know if we should be here, if we're caught trespassing…."

"Mr. Luthor told us to come here and make sure no one else is snooping around the area of the caves."

Maxima's eyes perked and she twitched her gaze around and perked her ears up, listening for anyone, but she wondered if they were supposed to be here. If they weren't, well she would teach them a lesson that they would not be soon to forget.

"Who are you?"

"I might ask you the same question," Maxima commented in a bold and regal voice.

"We could….you shouldn't be snooping around here," one of the thugs stated but his voice was not containing any conviction whatsoever.

"Do you know who I am?" Maxima asked, unable to believe these barbarians had given her an inconvenience.

"Yeah, toots, I don't but hey maybe over dinner, we can find out," one of the thugs stated in a sleazy tone of voice.

Maxima, agitated by his advance, grabbed his wrist and twisted it. There was a pop as he dropped to his knees.

"You bitch!" the thug shouted out in pain as the second one attempted to grab her but she blocked his hand.

"Well, you're not who I'm looking for," she remarked in a calm voice, as she hoisted both of the thugs up on her shoulder, with ease as she super sped them out of the cave.

The thugs found themselves deposited in trash cans outside the Kent Farm.

In the distance, Diana saw this, taking a walk around Smallville. The raven haired warrior princess reached into her bag and started to call up Karen on her cell phone, not wanting to disturb Kal if he was doing a training exercise at the Fortress.

"Karen, we might have a problem," Diana remarked to her over the phone.

"Depends on what you classify as a problem?" Karen asked, it never ended well if someone started a conversation with that sentence.

Diana stayed calm as she followed the progress of the red haired woman that was roaming around Smallville. She had no idea what her plan was to deal with her if it became necessary but she was filled with a deep sense of foreboding. Her dark hair framed her face as she stood steadily.

"Red hair, green garb, warrior spirit, looking to be on the hunt for something," Diana informed her as she followed the person that was roaming around. "Do you have any idea…."

Karen whistled and decided to allow Diana in on the secret. "That would be Maxima, the Queen of Alemarac. She's looking for her perfect soul mate."

Diana whistled as she grabbed her hands together and she wondered something. "You don't suppose…."

Karen laughed. "Diana, do you really think that there is any chance of this not going in the direction that you think it's going to? She's after Kal and she's after his cock and well…if she begs for it, we might indulge her with it."

"I'm sure Kal would enjoy that," Diana remarked with a smile and a laugh.

"Seriously though, Diana, you need to prevent her from kissing any man that is not Kal because her allure is dangerous and it will….it won't end well for anyone," Karen warned her and Diana folded her arms together and nodded, focused, determined, and dedicated to her cause.

Don't worry, I'll get it under control, I've got her in my line of sight," Diana said as she took a heavy step forwards ready to walk into danger. She was dressed in normal clothes, with a white shirt that wrapped around her and jeans, along with boots. "I'll get her."

"You better get her, I'm not sure….well I'm not sure what's going to happen if you don't get your hands on her, but it probably won't end well," Karen warned her and Diana's expression flickered for an instant but she smiled as she watched her.

The dark haired woman walked a few steps forward as she kept a close tail on the warrior queen.

Maxima stopped and Diana stood behind her. The woman turned around and Diana faced her.

"Yes,' Maxima commented, as her eyes flickered towards the face of the Princess ahead of her and Diana's smile widened over her face as she kept herself cool and collected.

"It's a nice night, isn't it?" Diana asked and Maxima's eyes traveled over the Amazon's face, suspicion dancing in them. The redhead woman's attention focused upon her.

"Who are you, what do you want?" Maxima asked as she kept her eyes locked upon Diana. She sensed that this woman was following her and had been. "I don't know who you are….but you're not going to stop me."

Diana tried to keep herself calm and tried to keep everything peaceful although her temper was starting to bubble to the forefront. "Don't worry I'm not here to fight, I'm not here to stop, I want to…."

Maxima grabbed Diana around the throat and shoved her back to the ground.

"You're not going to stop me," Maxima repeated and Diana bounced back up, trying to reign her temper in.

"You're..." Diana managed and Maxima rushed towards her and sunk her fist into her stomach. She was slumped forwards due to the impact but then reaching upwards she grabbed her around the side of the head and smashed a knee viciously into her face.

Diana's warrior spirit was not going to back down from a fight and she prepared to engage herself into battle with Maxima.

* * *

Kal showed up at the scene and he came to a skidding stop. He took a few seconds to catch his breath, not that he needed it. He saw everything that was happening in front of him and saw two extremely powerful warrior women beating the hell out of each other. The two of them battled as Kal's watched the confrontation with transfixed eyes. He could not….he could not take his eyes off what was happening in front of him, he had to watch.

'_And…..we end up coming upon this,' Kal thought as he wondered what was going to happen next. _

'_Do you want me to get involved?' _Kara thought to him from afar.

Kal paused a little bit as he proceeded towards the battle for a closer look. He hovered a slight distance above the ground and tried to figure out what he needed to do.

'_Um, Kal,' _Kara thought to him in a frantic tone of voice as the blonde was wondering if Kal had been caught off guard. There were a few seconds where he paused and then he talked to Kara.

'_Don't get involved Kara, unless….unless something breaks,' _Kal thought to the blonde as he placed his hands on his side as he leaned a little bit closer, closing the gap between where he was and in the fight. The blonde's expression followed that of Kal's form afar. _'This might not end well.'_

'_Well I wish you the best of luck,' _Kara thought to him as she knew that it was hard to envious Kal.

Maxima's eyes flickered open in annoyance as she placed her hand on the chin to fix the soreness in her jaw. She was annoyed that she was knocked down and hard. She was rattled and forced herself up to a standing position. The warrior queen faced off with Diana and the two of them stared each other down.

"Come on, attack me," Diana said to Maxima and she twisted her hand around and pointed towards the warrior woman to bring it.

"I'm Maxima, I'm going to take you down!" she yelled as she attacked Diana at super speed as she tried to punch her in the head. Dodging under the blow Diana grabbed Maxima's by the wrist, she twisted it around behind her back and then bent the hand up towards her shoulder. Maxima grimaced as she was about to be sent to the ground.

"You were saying?" Diana asked her with a wide smile on her face as she placed her foot on the back of Maxima's leg and put her down to the ground with a swift motion.

She closed her eyes and screamed out loud as she started to elbow Diana in the face. The blow catching her off guard which forced her to her knees.

Both women bounced up and exchanged punches, shot for shot bounced off of the other and both tried to back the other up. Neither would go down all that easily, if they called what they were doing was easy.

Kal could not pull his eyes away from the fight and wondered briefly if he could get involved. Diana grabbed Maxima from behind and pushed her back against the tree.

"Wait!" Kal shouted as he moved in the direction of the battle.

Maxima's face brightened for a brief instant as she kept her eyes on the young man before her and she smiled hungrily at the sight of him.

"So, you're the one," Maxima commented as she stepped towards him and placed her arms around his waist and pulled him in tightly.

Maxima's lips met his with a kiss and the two of them exchanged a sensational meeting of the lips. She opened her mouth and allowed Kal's tongue to invade hers and his hands to roam over her sensual body.

The allure and the Red Kryptonite kicked in and Diana watched, stunned, all thoughts of attacking this woman having escaped her mind. She was spell bounded as she watched the two of them go at it, and Maxima shoved Kal to the ground as she straddled him and kissed him heatedly.

"Hera," Diana panted as she resisted the urge to put her hand down her pants and diddle herself then and there. Her nipples stood out, erect and enticingly. The dark haired woman panted as her hair framed her face and she reached down her pants.

Maxima pulled open his shirt lustfully and smiled as she ran her hands down his chest and cooed as she rubbed his muscular body.

"I think I'm going to enjoy this," she purred with a smile.

"You and me both," Kal said with a grin as she worked his pants off and smiled wildly as she sunk her knees into him and gave him another hungry, lust ridden kiss as their hearts beat from the lust.

Diana watched, she had a feeling that this was going to be so hot.

"Maxima, Queen of Almarac," Maxima told him and then she hungrily nibbled at his lips, looking a lioness who cornered her prey.

Kal reversed the position and placed his hands between her legs and held his hands on her breasts. "Kal-El of Krypton and you belong to me."

"Then take me," Maxima breathed as she found her clothes being ravaged by him in the middle of this field.

**Smut/Lemon Begins**

-PROFILE-

**Smut/Lemon Ends. **

Kal had a woman underneath each arm and he sped them off to the Fortress for some more fun, although the damage to the field was left behind. Both warrior women did not complain, they wanted more of his loving and they might not wait until he got to the Fortress.

* * *

"You were marvelous, my love," Maxima told him as she rested her hand on Kal's chest on one side as he wrapped an arm around her. The Warrior Queen snuggled into one side of him, as the Amazon Princess snuggled into his other side.

Maxima saw that there were two survivors of Krypton, in addition to Kal-El, but she could sample their talents later. She thought about the three way she had with Diana and Kal and was incredibly interested in bringing the others in on the fun later.

"I was so happy to find someone that could meet my expectations and then exceed them," Maxima told him, as she turned around and placed her hands on his chest. She bent down and matched her lips onto his.

The two of them kissed each other, their nails sinking into the body of the other. They were both having the time of their life and things got even more intense as their tongues clashed together for a greater dominance and fury.

"My turn," Diana panted as she kissed Kal as well. The two of them indulging in their passions.

Maxima thought about it, she knew that her lover was the strongest in the universe, for he could sustain multiple women. And not just any multiple women, no it was far beyond that. He could sustain the strongest women in the entire universe and that fact made her filled with pleasure. Her eyes flushed with intensity and she kept smiling, her smile could light up entire rooms.

"Just thinking about our next round, lover," Maxima told him with a purr that was close to getting Kal's motor running.

"I think that I'll join in next time," Kara commented as she walked up with Maxima and kissed her on the lips in greeting.

Maxima's eyes closed shut and she basked in the young females affections. Her kisses were so forceful, yet so loving and Maxima could not get enough of them. Both of the children of the House of El were great and she could not believe how great they were. She pulled Kara's clothed body onto her naked one and gave Kal quite the show, as Diana kissed and grinded against him.

"The rate you are all going, I'll never get anything done," Kal growned but Diana smiled, as she nipped on his neck.

"And you're complaining about this?" Diana asked as the smile crossed her face.

Kal groped her ass and grinned back at her. "Not at all."

Maxima's expression turned to one of mirth and playfulness but she grew rather seriousness.

"What's wrong, love?" Kal asked as he looked at the alien queen who gazed back at her strong lover with more desire than most could muster. The redhead's hair framed her face as she let in one breath and let out another one.

"It's….well, it's my planet, I think that I should return, but I don't want to leave you," Maxima responded as she wrapped her arms around him. "And I understand….the calling you might have on this world….even if I wish that you would not….have to deal with them."

It was obvious that Maxima had a dim view of humanity but she was trying to keep herself calm and neutral for the sake of Kal-El. Sure enough, the last Son of Krypton cupped her chin and brought her lips up to a kiss.

Every time they kissed, it was amazing but they could do much more than kiss. Kal brought his arms around her sexy body, the leggy redhead pressed herself against him, and he reached his hand underneath the smoothness of her stomach.

"I'm sure you can…figure something out," Kal replied to her as he pulled the queen into him tightly and the redhead nodded.

"With you, I doubt there is much that I cannot accomplish," Maxima said as she followed his eyes.

She did not want to tell him about how war torn the world she came from had become as of late. It was pretty bad and the redhead woman placed her hands on the side of her face as she thought about it. Kal grabbed her hands and brought them down so he could hold them.

"You seem troubled," Kal told her and Maxima smiled.

"No more trouble then I have handled, trust me, I can handle you well," Maxima commented as she pinned him against the bed and straddled his hips. "So believe me, I can handle this."

"There may be a problem for you to get back and forth from your home planet and this world," Lara said to Maxima and the queen turned her eyes towards her. "It's a stressful situation, I don't think that I'm too premature in saying that, am I?"

Maxima shook her head and the smile faded from her face, she once again did not want to admit that she had any weakness. She had experienced the greatest thrill in her life.

"We can set up something in the Fortress," Kal told her and Maxima's smile widened as she motioned for him to continue. The redhead babe waited as Kal told her about it. "We can set up a gateway between your world in the Fortress, all you need is one of the crystals to keep on you at all times."

"A piece of you that I can keep close to my heart," Maxima informed him and Kal nodded. The woman smiled, she did not truthfully want to leave. "One day, once this world is safe, the two of us can watch over them all, and….some day, we can do so much more."

"Some day might be soon enough," Kal told her and Maxima groped him as she pulled him in an extremely lustful kiss.

Their burning lips connected with each other as she tipped him back and she could not get enough of him. The warrior queen ran her fingers down his abdomen and teased more of him. Her fingers traced around his abs hotly.

"I'm ready for more, Kal,' Maxima said as she spun around and presented himself to her.

Kal was ready to give her more.

* * *

Lex Luthor looked over the papers of everything that he inherited and wondered about his father. He knew that his father was not about to give up what he had lost, not without a fight either and he kept mulling over his own problems.

Thoughts flickered through his mind, thoughts that pertained to a conspiracy of some sort. His father had set him up for a fall or at least tried to do so. Yet, Lex, he wouldn't go down that easily. His eyes flashed with malice and his twisted expression continued to get even wider, wider, and he lifted his head up.

He saw the work that he had in his hands and how his father was going to strike. There was a buzzing on his phone.

"Lex, once again, I'd like to congratulate for pulling one over me, really son, I mean that with the utmost sincerity," Lionel commented over the phone as he gave a chuckle that dripped with even greater smugness than ever before. "I don't think you understand at all….what I've been through but remember, the one who gives you the helping hand, could be the person that could stab you in the back tomorrow. Friendship is fleeting, son."

"Well, you'd know that better than anyone else, wouldn't you, Dad?" Lex asked as he smiled. "I don't want to even talk to you about what you did to Morgan Edge."

"Edge, Edge, I don't know what you're referring to, he was rumored to have ties to Intergang, didn't he?" Lionel asked to Lex.

"Sure, father, whatever you say, but it's just beginning," Lex remarked as he stopped and wondered what other skeletons that his father had in his closet that he had yet to have unearthed. He was determined to ponder this fact over in his mind.

"Just remember Lex, you live by the sword, and you die by it as well," Lionel commented with a smile on his face.

"Yes, thank you for your sage advice, I'll be sure to keep it in mind when I'm running LuthorCorp to greater and greater heights,' Lex commented, barely keeping the smugness from entering his voice, even though it was hard to keep it from slipping in.

Lex set the phone down, yes his father, he had his own thoughts about how he did things, but the young Luthor heir was not about to let that get in the way of what he was doing. He had people out there, looking out for him.

There was one piece of business that he had, something that he had been pondering about on and off for the better part of two years. It kept flickering through his mind and he spent many late nights thinking about it.

What was Clark's big secret?

In Smallville, the strange and the bizarre came second nature. Lex pondered all of the things that he had been through himself and he twisted himself on his seat as he looked up.

'_Clark, you're truly a puzzle, an enigma, a riddle,' _Lex thought to himself.

He did not forget his bargain with Cobblepot regarding the stones but the fact is that he wanted to understand why his father wanted them so badly. It was something that his father had been searching for many years.

Lex was in Smallville on the day of the meteor shower, with his father.

He did not believe in a coincidence or anything along those lines. In fact, he was going to dig into the past until he found what he needed.

A smile crossed Lex's face, it was devious but it showed all that he wanted to do. The young man touched the top of his head, it was a reminder of that day almost fifteen years ago where the world changed. His world, which was the most important thing to him and in the back of his head, memories swirled back to him.

The meteors fell, the world changed, and Lex became a new person. He wondered how his life would have been had he not been on Smallville that day, just like he wondered what would have happened if he had ran off the road for other reasons, with Clark not around.

There was a maelstrom of what ifs and thoughts that flickered through the mind of Lex. He debated this over and over again with him.

His father had to leave notes.

'_Then again, my father is taking a lot of time to hide himself and hide what he's doing, I wonder if he deceives himself as he looks in the mirror in the morning,' _Lex thought to himself as he twisted his fingers around the pen that he was holding and jotted down another thought that went through him. _'Lionel, doesn't do anything, not without a reason.'_

Then he thought more about what his father said, about how friendship was fleeting. He had not often looked a gift horse in the mouth, but this gift horse was going to bare fruit that could poison him. The person who gave him the information that he needed, well it was a third party source.

Now Lex focused on these thoughts through his mind and wondered if there was some kind of agenda for anyone else.

Lex came back from his trip and never was the same. Everyone was out to get him now.

And there was a conspiracy around every corner.

Lex did not even trust the reflection that stared back at him through the mirror every morning.

* * *

Inside the caves rested an individual who tried to shake off the cobwebs as her body came back to its senses. This little project was a long time coming and took far longer than she thought it would, but the blonde in the cave shook her head as she came out of her containment.

Her features were in the shadows as she looked around.

Years ago, Jor-El stuck a body of a girl in the cave named Lindsey Harrison, to use in one of his many tests for Kal-El. Lara discovered it as she arrived in the cave and decided that if there was going to be a perfectly good body to be used, she might as well get the most of it.

The blonde smiled, there were parts of her personality in here, parts of Lindsey's personality, and the few parts of Kara's personality. It appeared that Jor-El co-opted an AI crystal from Zor-El where he tried to clone his daughter. Why Zor-El wanted to clone Kara, Lara had no idea, but knowing Zor-El, the reasons were numerous and potentially creepy. The blonde kept her expression neutral as her heart hammered across her chest.

She stepped from the shadows, dressed in white. The blonde hair wrapped around her face, the sensual red lips, the blazing blue eyes, and the tight white material wrapping her glorious assets, well it was a sight. Lara figured that this body type was good and strong.

Jor-El damaged the poor girl's brain and likely intended to use her as a temporary stop gap until he figured out his mad plan.

Lara had more lofty ambitions regarding this vessel. A smile spread over her face as she turned around and walked out, looking from the caves.

The only thing left in these caves was the small traces of Jor-El left, and he could only be left there to rot, to understand that Lara was the one who would guide their son. She suspected that by the time Jor-El was done, Kal would be left with an entire mess of issues.

Now with her new body, it was time for Lara to pay her son a visit to take a more hands on approach to him.

**To Be Continued in the Next Chapter.**


	23. Chapter 22: Breather

**Chapter Twenty Two: Breather**

Clark found himself enjoying some much needed downtime after all of the insanity that had been going on. His eyes were closed as he processed what happened over the past couple of days and he drew in a breath before drawing out another one.

Training was going well although Lara and Kara slowly worked him through the basics. It was all about accumulating power to use faster. The Last Son of Krypton understand that there were more than a few problems as it pertained to usage of his abilities, although one of the major abilities had been taken out.

Kal wore a special skintight suit made of nanotech that blocked out Kryptonite radiation. It also caused him to be able to deflect blunt objects although given his abilities, it seemed likely that there was nothing that could hurt him.

Still they wished to leave nothing to chance and thus this suit was developed for his long term use. He was training with it but naturally given that his mother made it, it worked like a charm.

He was in one of the training simulators right now.

"Remember, you must learn to dodge objects, as sometimes even with your invulnerability, there might be something about them that could harm you," Lara commented to Kal and he nodded in response, a smile crossing his face as he dodged around the objects, his heart thumping within his chest. "Remember, sometimes the best offense is a good defense."

Kal knew that his mother had a good point, there was a science to using his powers that went beyond blunt force trauma. He actually found this out a few times in the past but there was something to be said about thinking things through, rather then rushing head long into a situations.

Then again there were sometimes where somehow, being impulsive worked out for the better but it was not all of the time. Kal was going to roll with those punches and if he was going to be impulsive, than it was going to happen one way or another. He was going to make the most out of every situation, no matter how dangerous they might seem to be.

"And again!" Lara told him and Kal went on the attack once more dodging the bright lights that swam above his head inside the Fortress.

So far, so good, at least so he thought. The problem was that using his powers and understanding how to utilize them, that was merely only half of the battle. That was something that he was reminded of constantly over and over again.

Kal did so again and again, feeling that he was about beaten raw by what he was doing. His focus remained quite steady and careful. His heart sped up as he skidded across the Fortress.

He stopped short of hitting the wall, which was a problem.

Impulsive, that might as well have been his middle name. The Last Son of Krypton speculated that things were about to heat up now and he was this close to performing something extremely daring, at least so he thought.

"You've done well my son, you may take a rest."

Kal let out a breath, he thought that he earned that rest and he staggered back a couple of steps, his head pounding with the exertion of today.

"Excellent job once more, Kal-El, you've done more than anyone could have hoped of you in this one session," Lara remarked as Kal sat down on the ice blocks in the fortress. He felt a few stabbing pains in his legs but otherwise he was fine.

"I thought that I improved."

"And there is always room for more," Lara told him, a smile crossing her face but she heard footsteps behind her. "And now there is a surprise so please turn around and face her."

Now Kal was intrigued, especially with the word "her". He spun around and locked his eyes on the blonde that was approaching him. She had lovely blue eyes, a curtain of blonde hair, along with high cheek bones that showed how well defined she was. The white material wrapped around her curved body fairly enticingly and Kal could not take his eyes off of this vision.

"Hello, Kal-El," Lara remarked as she eyed her son.

Her young body was quite strong and it also had some urges that she could not suppress.

"You love me, don't you?" Lara asked as she stepped over towards him and she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"Mother, how could you ask such a question, of course I do," Clark commented and Lara's smile got more prominent.

"I thought you might," Lara commented, the smile getting wider across her face and it lit up the entire Fortress. The blonde's expression kept locking onto him. The blonde placed a hand on her hip and watched Kal. "But….you know….there is so much more that we can do."

Lara straddled his lap and wrapped her arms around him. The blonde's expression gazed intently upon his.

"I have certain urges, not too much unlike living and breathing people, and I need them fulfilled," Lara commented as she worked her son's shirt up over his head then ran her hands across his chest. "And I'd imagine that you'll do better than your father at fulfilling them."

"Of course I'm better than him," Kal growled as he grabbed Lara's arms as he pushed her back against the ice. The blonde's eyes widened and her smile turned into a grin as Kal pressed onto the side of her neck, which caused her to shudder.

"Yes, I know you are but prove it, show me, indulge me," Lara begged him as she wrapped her legs around him and held him into place.

"Oh believe me, I will," Kal commented as he pulled back his mother's shirt to reveal her naked chest.

She wrapped her hands around him and pulled him into a burning kiss, as her tongue wrapped around his tongue. The young woman flipped him over and held him down, pinning him down onto the block of ice.

"I've seen what you've done with Kara, Diana, and Maxima, now it's my turn to ride that not so little thing," Lara commented with a purr as she stroked him to full mast and relieved him of his pants.

**Smut/Lemon Begins.**

-PROFILE-

**Smut/Lemon Ends.**

Kara and Lara rested next to Kal after some fun, pleased that this family bonding was done. They felt all three of them grew closer together than ever before.

* * *

With a purpose, Patricia Swann walked, one foot going in front of the other towards her car in the STARR Labs parking lot. There was a sense that something was following her.

There was a lot of weirdness going around her, in fact a few days ago, Patricia felt the sense that something changed about her. There was an energy spike that blacked out the power of everyone in the world for a second. Every single person in the entire world lost power, it was only for a second and many were baffled by it because they could only trace the general area of origin. There was an energy pulse that came from up North but there was no indication where exactly. Although Patricia had her hunches of what was going on. The redhead woman turned her head around to check out the origin of the noise, even though she did not see anything.

'_I've been working so hard,' _Patricia thought to herself as she shook her head. _'I'm starting to imagine things that aren't already there and….it's starting to get weird….I mean completely weird.'_

Patricia placed her hands on the side of her head and brought her breath out in a long and prominent sigh. She saw that Kal-El came over the other day, and visited Karen. Patricia watched by the door and caught a few seconds of that visit. Although it was more than a few seconds and Patricia's smile crossed over her face as she thought about it. Her heart beat even faster as she thought about what Kal could to her.

He was the man of her dreams, every one of them, and he had a few women with him already. That proved how strong he was and Patricia envisioned him saving her and then taking the spoils of his victory. That was an amazing thought as she placed her thoughts on him taking her body for his.

Her nipples stiffened and it was not because of the cold night air.

Her mind was brought out of fantasy land as there was a click behind her. The redhead stiffened in fear as her knees started shaking rather forcefully, she was about to turn around but someone grabbed her around the back of the neck. They had a rather strong grip and Patricia's knees were about to fold underneath her.

"If you value your life, you will not turn around."

Yes, she did not have eyes in the back of her head, although she could tell that there must have been four or five of them behind her. Patricia did not say anything although she felt a few seconds where time seemed to slow to crawl.

"What….what do you want?"

She was bold enough to spit that question out and her heart was beating intensely against her chest, there was a loud thump, thump, thump, that resounded even more loudly. The redhead found herself over a barrel as she was trying to turn around but the strong grip on her shoulder held in place. Patricia still felt like her knees were about ready to buckle underneath her any moment due to the pressure the redhead was feeling.

"We know it was you who prevented Mr. Luthor from keeping his company. Your father leaked information to Lex Luthor."

"My father….he didn't….he had nothing to do with this."

Patricia was warned that this might happen by Karen and unfortunately, she was the one that neglected to heed Karen's warnings. The butterflies flapped against her stomach as she was getting extremely nervous. Her stomach twisted into more prominent knots as everything was coming crashing down.

"I don't believe you, you dumb bitch."

Patricia's knuckles clenched, they were crass and rude, just like she expected. The redhead closed her eyes tightly as her heart drummed a death march across her ribs.

"You don't have to believe me but it's the truth."

"Shut it!"

Patricia was rammed face first into the side of the car and her arms were placed behind her back as a gun was placed in the back of her neck. She felt the cold, hard steel of the barrel press against her and she was shaking badly. The redhead was about to lose her mind due to panic.

Something flashed through her eyes, before Patricia Swann blacked out all of her sensations. Her hands twisted together as she turned around to face her enemies.

There was a few seconds where the goons turned around and Patricia's eyes continued to glow.

"I thought I told you to stay turned around!" one of the goons stated but Patricia reached forward and grabbed the goon around the throat with a super strong grip.

The goon's breath was squeezed out of his body as he was picked up and hurled to the ground. He crashed hard with a shattering force. Breathing heavily he tried to roll over despite the fact his bones were battered and cracked.

Patricia seemed to blur as she moved at super speed.

"What are you, some kind of freak?" one of the thugs stated as she grabbed him around the arm.

Little did Patricia Swann know that one of her visits to the cave caused her to be chosen by the figure inside the cave. She dodged the bullets.

Given that females absorbed yellow sunlight much quicker than males and the cave's energies infused her with a super charged burst of yellow sunlight that had been stored in her body until the key activated her powers and soon she would be able to access more of her powers.

Namely the heat vision that impacted the gun in the hands of the young man and the molten metal dripped to the ground. The thug was nailed with a rocket buster of a punch.

"I won't let you harm the one that I've chosen to be my oracle," Patricia commented in Lara's voice as she picked up the thugs. "Lionel Luthor will pay for what he's tried to do. No one denies him his birthright, do you hear me?"

The thugs were hurled around as Patricia's eyes blinked and for a second, she had a sense of herself but only for a second.

'_What am I….I don't understanding this?' _Patricia asked as she shook her head.

'_You've been chosen and empowered by me,' _Lara thought to her. _'My name is Lara Lor-Van, I'm the mother of Kal-El.'_

'_You…you are,' _Patricia mentally stammered, her mind was racing wildly as she turned her head towards the situation.

'_Yes….whilst I've found a body, it's unwise to keep all of your eggs in one basket, so you have been chosen and gifted with powers,' _Lara remarked.

'_Why me?' _Patricia asked her.

'_Why not you?' _Lara asked. _'You will serve Kal-El well in his upcoming trials. There's never enough women in a collective after all.'_

Lara's dream was to have her son be the world's supreme protector, surrounded by some of the most beautiful women out there. Was that too much for a mother to ask? She didn't think so.

'_I need to prepare you for the next step of your journey,' _Lara thought as Patricia sped off. _'I will give you full control of your body once you've mastered your powers.'_

Patricia blinked and she nodded, numbly. There was work to be done.

* * *

Kara had the hard drive from her ship in her hand and she turned it over. She had not forgotten about it, although it was easy to get tied up in everything else as she was trying to get the Fortress together.

She had just woken up from the fun that she had with Lara and Clark. Now that Lara was out of the box and into a body, she could perform some hands on training. The blue eyes of Kara swam with amusement and joy as she stepped a few inches towards the edge. She ran her fingers amongst the crystal array and wondered what would happen.

This hard drive belonged to her mother, her mother that died years ago. Kara was trying to remember her mother, but this was the only piece of her that she had left. What if she damaged the hard drive before linking it up for the Fortress. The blonde's expression kept flickering around the Fortress.

She decided that knowledge was power and she held the personification of it in her hand. She turned it over and the blonde spun it around in her hand. The blonde's heart hammered a steady beat against her chest and smiled.

"Here goes nothing," Kara murmured as she waited for this to happen.

Lara walked her through the process to hook up Kryptonian technology to the Fortress.

The good news is that the Fortress had a state of the art firewall system….at least it did after Lara made her modifications. It seemed like Jor-El, in his infinite genius, thought that his Fortress could not be penetrated by any means. After all, he was the great Jor-El, he was perfect, there was nothing that he could do that would be wrong by any conceivable means.

Even though he had his share of failures and Kara snorted about how imperfect Jor-El turned out to be. Lara's modifications were great. Jor-El was not a fool or an idiot as the blonde mulled over some of his accomplishments. However, for as many accomplishments as he made, there were any number of blunders that cheapened his intelligence and his greatness. Kara respected him for many things but for other reasons, she did not respect him.

It was a weird paradox to say the very least.

She once again clutched the hard drive in her hand and stepped over.

'_Now is the time Kara, now is the time,' _Kara thought as she prepared to hook up the hard drive.

The Fortress did the mandatory scan for nastiness which Kara allowed it to do. Despite the fact that her mother made it, Kara would not be surprised if her father made things a bit more difficult. The blonde waited for a few seconds as everything clicked back into life and her hands nervousness twitched. The blonde's stomach twisted into a knot.

A figure appeared in the midst of the Fortress, as new information was assimilated into the Fortress.

"I'm pleased that Alura was able to bring so much that the Fortress did not have, this is perfect in filling in the gaps," Lara commented throughout the Fortress, as her AI self-echoed through the cave.

"Thank you, Lara, you're too kind."

Kara's eyes practically widened as she heard the voice. She had to be imagining things, there was no way that she could be here, yet she was. The blonde's gaze wildly flickered around in the Fortress and she kept blinking, her heart skipped a few beats. She opened her mouth and closed it, placing a pair of hands on her hips as she wondered if her eyes were working. One word escaped from her mouth as she practically spat it out.

"Mom."

Alura appeared in the Fortress. She had long and beautiful blonde hair that wrapped around her face. Her blue eyes were much like Kara's, her tight white robes wrapped around her body and her breasts looked ready to tear free from the material.

"Kal, come here," Kara said and Kal moved over.

"That's…." Kal remarked as he found himself looking over this vision of woman hood, with her huge breasts and tight ass. He found himself getting weak in the knees just looking at her. The blonde's eyes traveled down him as well, checking him and giving him a visual eye fucking, as a tongue trailed over her lips.

"Kal, this is my mother, Alura, Alura, this is my cousin and lover, Kal-El," Kara remarked as she placed her arm around him and pulled her arms around him.

"I can see where Kara gets her looks," Kal commented as he reached forward and she took his hand.

"A pleasure to meet you, you must be the son of Jor-El," Alura commented, as she pulled her nephew into a tight hug and her breasts pressed against his chest. She felt his muscular body against hers. Thanks to the nature of the hard light hologram, she could feel and be felt. The blonde's eyes closed. "I hope you have only your father's looks and none of his personality."

Lara moved over in her physical body and watched Alura.

"Trust me, it wasn't for Jor-El's best efforts but Kal is in his own young man and quite a young man," Lara said as she looked over her son with a smile crossing her face. The blonde's expression widened with a smile on her face as she eyed him, a dazzling expression across her lips.

"I can see that," Alura remarked as she looked over him.

"And quite gifted," Kara remarked with a saucy smile crossing her face.

"I'm sure," Alura added and the blonde's eyes once again traveled across him, drinking in every inch of his body.

"So, I think we have some catching up to do," Kara offered and Alura's mouth widened with a smile.

"You start, honey," Alura prompted her, seeing that her daughter had grown up rather well, turning into quite the beautiful young woman. She had a beautiful angelic face, alluring blue eyes, nicely developed breasts, a curvy body, and legs that coaxed drool from men.

Kara took in a deep breath, as she prepared to talk about the last few months that were. The blonde could not wait to tell her mother about everything she has been through.

And Alura was a very attentive listener. The blonde locked eyes with the other blondes and Kal as she prepared to get caught up.

* * *

"So, your mother….did you know that she was an AI on that hard drive?" Kal asked Kara and she sat down on the ice bench in the Fortress and a smile crossed her face.

"No that was about as much of a surprise to me, as it was to you," Kara admitted to him, as she stretched back in the Fortress.

She was wearing a black tank top that showed her cleavage, toned arms, and taut stomach as it rode up. The pair of jean shorts added to the visual buffet and the blonde's legs crossed as she jiggled her feet. The blonde's smile got even wider as she placed her hand on her cheek.

"But I think that she'll be useful, she was one of the most foremost scientific minds in all of Krypton, in a lot of ways she was your father's intellectual rival," Kara commented as Kal sat down next to her on the block of ice. The blonde's head rested on his shoulder and he pulled his arm around her. "And I'm glad….I'm glad that I've gotten to meet her again and you've gotten to meet her."

"She is a remarkable woman," Kal commented and Kara smiled towards him, as she felt his strong arm wrap around her.

"Yes, she is, in more ways than you can know," Kara fired back as her eyes fluttered towards him, and she shifted her position so she could straddle Kal.

The two cousins went face to face, as Kara's arms wrapped around his back and the blonde kept gazing back into his eyes. Kal returned the gaze and a smile crossed his face. The blonde and the dark haired Kryptonian, two of the last survivors of their race watched each other with Kal's hands placed on her bare back.

"I look forward to getting know her quite well," Kal remarked as he pressed Kara into his chest. He felt her nipples as they poked out from beneath her shirt and the dark haired Kryptonian wrapped around her sensual young body.

"She'll know you quite well," Kara responded as she licked her lips and she placed her hands around his back and ran them down it. The blonde smiled as she felt Kal rise underneath her crotch and she ground herself against him, teasing him and holding his arms up. "Those hard light holograms can think and feel just like a normal person can, with all the sensations intact."

There was something suggestive in Kara's eyes and the blonde locked her legs around him, grinding herself against him hard. The blonde's crotch worked against him, with the dark haired man leaning back, so she was on top of him.

It felt good, her young nubile body on his and her lips a few inches away from his.

"The light won't be the only thing that's hard," Kara whispered lustfully in his ear as the blonde ran her hands all over his body and rubbed around his shoulders. The blonde continued to heighten his arousal and hers.

Kal reached his hands around and cupped her supple lovely backside. The blonde's eyes continued to flood with greater desire.

"Oh, that's something that's always hard around you, honey," Kal commented as he reached underneath her shirt and played with her a little bit.

The blonde's eyes flushed as she kissed him once again. Their kisses got more intense and more lust ridden, as their hands roamed each other. Kara's tongue poked into Kal's mouth and Kal returned the favor, the blonde unbuckling his belt and she clasped him, teasing him slightly.

"I want you, I want all of you, Kal, indulge me," Kara panted as she crossed her legs over him and pressed her lips on his neck, working his shirt off and unbuttoned him. The blonde's nails dug into his chest and shoulder, as she ran her hands down him and the blonde worked his pants down.

Kal's grin crossed and he could not resist saying anything. The nubile young blonde on top of him was asking for it and he could sense the arousal that was pulsing from her body. He could really smell it and his heart fluttered against his chest as his pants tightened even greater. The blonde's eyes followed, traveling down his body.

"Aren't you a little overdressed for the occasion?" Kal asked Kara as he gripped her tight little ass and kissed her.

Kara stepped back and swayed her hips as she did a super sexy strip tease. Her body swayed from side to side, the Arctic wind causing her nipples to grow extremely hard. Her upper body was revealed first. Her slender shoulders were once again exposed and the blonde's expression, with her juicy red lips looking delicious. Her thin black bra showed her amazing cleavage and offset her toned stomach. It was flat and delicious, with a set of abs that he drooled with. Her stomach was extremely delicious.

She worked the shorts off of her and pulled herself off, to reveal her thong. Kara reached over and dripped a handful of ice cold water onto her breasts, causing her nipples to become extremely hard. The blonde swayed her hips a tiny bit and spun them around, showing her entire ass at Kal and bent over, wiggling her.

She saw his bulge in his boxer shorts and grabbed it, as she pulled them down. The blonde licked her lips and drooled lustfully.

Kal saw her lips move towards him closer, her hot breath offsetting the cold air that was going through the Arctic and as always, he looked forward to see what Kara could do for him.

**Smut/Lemon Begins.**

-PROFILE-

**Smut/Lemon Ends. **

Kara felt Kal lay on top of her as he pulled out of her. The blonde was glad that they shared this moment together. Her nipples poked out, both from the cool air and arousal.

"More in a minute," Kara told him as she looked at him with her delightful blue eyes and she ran her hands down his body.

"Yes, more in a minute," Kal agreed with her.

There was no way that he was going to turn Kara down and have a chance to indulge himself in that delicious body all of the time. He throbbed just thinking about it, thinking about the chance to stick that length in her and pound her into submission.

* * *

Karen tapped her pen against the surface of her desk as she sat in her office late at night. She was keeping some late hours but when someone was trying to change the world they did not punch a time clock. No, they were always on the clock. The blonde cupped her chin and a smile crossed her face as she ran her hands through her hair, thinking carefully about everything. She was expecting a phone call that would bring her clarity.

The Luthor situation was one that needed to be addressed immediately. She smiled as she thought about the fact that Lionel Luthor was still chasing those stones, even though he was going to be fairly late to the party. The blonde felt extremely excited by everything that happened and she could not wait for the next phase of the plan. She placed her hand on her leg underneath the desk and arched her neck back as she stretched.

Until Lionel found out that the stones were snatched out from underneath his overly long nose and then the game was on. Karen knew of the dangerous game of chess that she was playing and she regretted having to do some of the things that she did. Perhaps she was projecting her hatred for another version of Lionel Luthor upon this Lionel Luthor.

Then again, a Luthor was a Luthor, well the male Luthors, no matter what way you looked at it. Karen reached across her desk and saw the files before her.

Lex went to the doctor's yesterday and so far, he was physically fine. Mentally, was a another matter entirely.

Lionel was being observed by some of her people now. Especially after she found out that they took a crack at Patricia, that made Karen livid. The blonde could strangle that bastard, but then again he had an ability to hurt those that she cared about. The blonde leaned back in her chair and her eyes flickered towards her phone.

She had the unmistakable signs of someone who was expecting a phone call and she placed her hands on the edge of the phone, tapping the edge of it. The blonde waited, her smile wide. Pretty soon there was going to be someone who was going to call her and quite frankly Karen could not wait for it. She was tense, perhaps more tense than she should be but she still waited as patiently as she could. The blonde's expression was one that was one of impatience.

It was late but she had a feeling that this person was going to call and not leave her hanging.

Sure enough the phone hummed to life and Karen's hand gripped it into her hand. She very nearly dropped the phone but managed to hold it in her hand. She was so excited that she could hardly felt it and she answered the phone in an extremely breathless and excited manner as her heart hammered against her ribcage. "Yes….yes…hello."

"It's me," the voice over the phone stated but there was some trepidation in this person's tone. "We're….not going to be overheard."

"Even the government couldn't tap into this phone conversation if they wanted to," Karen stated as she twirled her finger around the line and she could hear the relief that was slowly creeping into the voice of the young woman on the other edge of the phone. "So you can speak your mind and no one will be any of the wiser."

"Good, good," she commented over the phone in a relieved tone of voice as she clutched it in her hand. "I'm not sure if this plan…is going to work."

"I know your heritage is as much of a surprise, believe me when I found out about it….well your potential should not be wasted," Karen remarked to her. "Someone like you, with a PHD in Marine Biology by the time you're sixteen….that's something that should not be left untapped."

"It's sad that many others don't think that," the woman offered to her. "I guess most people don't think much about saving the world because there are others who are trying to throw it away."

"People have lost all thoughts of what potential they could have," Karen commented to the woman over the phone. "You have never lost any sight of the potential that you have and it has served you quite well."

"Are we sticking our heads into the dragon's mouth though?" she wondered on the other end and there was a pause as Karen's mouth widened into a smile.

"In a matter of speaking, yes we are, but that's part of the fun," Karen agreed to her as she took a few notes. "We're playing in the big time now."

"Has Lex figured it out?" she wondered to her.

"You're not going to back out now are you? I thought better of you!" Karen asked of her, feeling a swelling of disappointment fill through her body and the woman on the other end of backpeddled quickly. Karen's super sharp hearing almost caused her to be able to hear the headshaking.

"No, I never….I'm not going to back out, now when we've gotten so far," she remarked to Karen and there was a second where Karen's mouth widened as she remarked to her.

"Confidence that's something that I like."

It was far more then liking it, no confidence was something that needed today, because if they lacked it, they would get chewed up and spat out if they went up against the Luthors.

"The big leagues," Karen whispered as she could not and did not say that enough. "We're playing in the big leagues."

"Yes, I believe that's been established," her contact offered as she sighed. "I'm ready for this but I don't know about you."

"Ready, I was born ready," Karen commented as she placed her hand on the table. "And the project that I borrowed, it should be fitted to your DNA so you can join in the fun and without any complications."

"So how is our Star Child doing?" she asked.

"In the midst of getting trained, also getting laid several times a day," Karen stated and there was a fair amount of pride that dripped from her voice at that notion.

"So he has the skills, he will have legions of devoted allies, all he needs is one missing an element….a business empire to back him up," she replied.

"For better or for worse, money makes the world go around," Karen muttered to herself and the woman over the phone agreed.

"And he will have all the money and all of the women that he could ever dream, LuthorCorp, despite the flaws of the people running it, is making money hand over fist," she told Karen. Karen smiled, it would be even more true if they did not squander said money on projects that were nearly useless.

"And more money will be made when the cancers are cut out," Karen summarized and the blonde's expression curled into a knowing smile.

Soon the name Luthor would be stricken from LuthorCorp and the rise of Kal-El as the hero that the world needs would come.

**To Be Continued in the Next Arc "The Fall of the House of Luthor."**


	24. Chapter 23: Luthor Part One

**Chapter Twenty Three: Fall of the House of Luthor Part One.**

The true measure of a man was not how he reacted when he had everything to gain but rather when he had everything to lose. The middle aged businessman thought this as he sat in the run down office that he had been allowed out of pity. It was almost an insult that someone like him had been reduced to a location like this; it would have been far less insulting if he had been allowed nothing at all. He would have figured that this was done by design by Lex.

Lionel gritted his teeth as frustration lingered in his eyes and placed his hands on the desk, drumming his fingers. He was waiting for them to bring Patricia Swann back, they should have come back here a few hours ago. He saw the newspaper clippings around him, about the meteor shower and also about his fall from grace. The death of the Queens was also buried among the newspapers.

'_How did he do it?' Lionel thought to himself as he felt his sanity was becoming unraveled as he placed his hands on the side of his head then threw it back with a grumbling grunt._

One would not dare ask who Lionel referred to when he said he, should they be privileged enough to hear his thoughts. Madness flared in his eyes as he pondered everything. There was a few seconds where he paused and his agitation boiled through a fever pitch as he plotted.

'_Any second now, she should be here,' _Lionel remarked as he reached over and picked up the phone.

He began to dial up the number and waited impatiently, hearing the dialing sound on the other end. The middle aged man was getting progressively more annoyed as time ticked on, his eyes filled with anger.

"Pick up, you lazy son of a bitch," Lionel growled as he looked at the phone, tapping his fingers angrily against the desk. He held the phone up and he turned it over.

He was keeping his options open as he waited for another answer. It was just one woman, she was not extraordinary, how hard could it be to grab her? Lionel was gritting his teeth as he furiously ran over all of the ways that things could have gone wrong.

There was one other avenue for him to explore to ensure that the Traveler was going to be put underneath his thumb. He had worked too long and too hard to try and gain some kind of control, Lionel was not about to lose his control now. He began to pace around his office like a caged animal. Anger bubbled in him.

The man who had nothing to lose and everything to gain was one of the most dangerous individuals in the world and Lionel doubled his danger as he scratched and clawed his way to the top. He had done it once before, coming from the bottom, all the way to the top.

He needed to plan this carefully because one wrong move and he would have his share of problems. The businessman entered the vehicle and leaned towards his driver.

"Kent Farm," Lionel ordered him and the driver knew better than to argue.

The drive was long and Lionel thought about everything that had gone wrong, the caves slipped through his grasp, the stones slipped through his grasp, and now he was dangerously close to losing the Traveler.

When his back was against the wall, that was when Lionel Luthor excelled better than anyone else.

Now it was time to take action that some people might seem to think was desperate but he considered it to be calculating. There was a few seconds where he paused and he saw the Kent Farm.

It was extremely early in the morning and the lights were on, just as Lionel thought they would be. If there was one thing people could not fault the Kents for, they were hard working. Especially Jonathan Kent, but it would be a shame if anything happened to him, if he had an accident.

Lionel exited the car and he walked up to the Kent Farm. He thought that being at five o'clock in the morning, it might be rude to call on someone this time in the morning but given the Kents, he was going to make an exception.

He stepped towards the door and raised his hand, knocking on the door. He waited, whistling a merry tune, his triumph was nearly echoing through his eyes.

The door creaked open and Jonathan Kent faced him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jonathan asked, immediately he thought that there was something that was off about Lionel Luthor showing up at his doorstep and with his questionable mental state at that.

"Jonathan, Jonathan, my old boy, is that any way to treat an old friend?" Lionel asked as a smug smirk appeared over his face but Jonathan blocked his way inside.

"You have no business being here," Jonathan said roughly to him.

"Now, how soon we forget which side your bread is buttered on but tell me, how is Clark?" Lionel asked in a faux jovial voice.

"Just go, Luthor," Jonathan stated as he was this close to attacking the man.

"Now, it's just a simple inquiry really," Lionel commented to him as he stared down Jonathan. "I think your son has potential but feel that he needs someone to bring out the best in him."

Martha stood in the doorway as Lionel placed his hands on his hips and stared the woman down with a smile.

"Martha, how are you doing?" Lionel asked in a voice that had warmth in it but it was fake.

Jonathan was not going to allow this man to enter his home and play whatever game he was trying to play. "Look, you need to get off my property…."

"Oh….well I see, I thought you were more hospitable," Lionel said as he snapped his fingers. "All I wanted to do was to see Clark, I believe that the two of us, we could make the future."

"What do you want with him?" Martha asked.

"I just want your son to achieve his full potential, he could….he could be something beyond what he is now," Lionel commented as he turned around a few of his men stepped in and the Kents backed off a few seconds.

Martha tried to reach for the phone but one of them grabbed it.

"Have you gone completely insane?" Jonathan asked as he grabbed Lionel.

One of his bodyguards nailed Jonathan in the back of the leg and there was a solid crack as the bone snapped. Jonathan Kent went down to the ground and one of his bodyguards stood on the back of his neck. A gun pointed at the back of his head.

"Now….see what you made me do," Lionel rasped as he massaged his throat and focused his eyes on Martha. "I didn't want to….you forced my head."

"Don't please…what do you want?" Martha asked as she surveyed the situation, trying to find a way to take Lionel down although with Jonathan on the ground and a gun pointed at the back of his head, things were fairly tense.

"I want you to take me to the caves and show me what Clark was looking at," Lionel breathed in a crazed tone. "I sense that he has them stashed up there."

"He has what, what the hell are you talking about?" Martha asked but two of the bodyguards grabbed her before she could slap Lionel.

"After all we've shared, you think that you'd be a bit more hospitable as well but then again married to someone like Jonathan Kent, certain undesirable qualities are bound to rub off on you," Lionel said in a critical tone. "But, there's no time to be hung up on that….I think that you'll lead me there and there will be no need for anyone to get hurt, not your husband, not your son, or any of his friends like Miss Sullivan or maybe Miss Lang."

Lionel's grin was sadistic and did not leave his face.

Martha understood what she had to do, she had try and make Lionel think that she was leading him to something tangible.

* * *

Clark stepped outside of the meeting place that Karen summoned him to. He had a feeling that she had big news to tell him, although what that news was, the Last Son of Krypton had no idea. There was a slight amount of nervousness in his eyes.

'_Kal, I'm sure it's nothing really bad,' _Kara commented to him in an optimistic tone of voice as she walked towards him to the front doors of STARR Labs.

'Kal, I'm sure it's nothing really bad,' Kara commented to him in an optimistic tone of voice as she walked with him towards the front doors of STARR Labs.

They entered the building walking side by side towards the front desk and waited. "Miss Starr is in her office, she'll see you now," the woman at the front of the desk remarked and Kal and Kara nodded as they made their way to the top floor moving with a purpose.

The door opened and Karen sat on the edge of her desk, with a stack of contracts in her hand. The blonde was dressed in a business suit, her legs crossed, and she faced both of them as they entered her office. Her arms were folded underneath her chest as she leaned towards them. This achieved the desired effect of making her already ample breasts much larger and it was quite the delicious moment to say the very least.

"Hello, Karen," Kal said and she removed her arms which caused her breasts to bounce enticingly towards him. Said enticing breasts were pressed against his chest as Karen wrapped her arms around Kal and tightly hugged him into her as she leaned up and planted her lips onto his with a firm kiss.

The two of them continued to deeply kiss each other, their tongues dancing together as they wrapped their arms around each other. The blonde pulled Kal even more tightly into her body and her breasts pressed further against his chest.

Kara's lips curled with a pouting expression as she turned to face Karen, a statement escaping her lips as she did so.

"No greeting for me?" Kara asked and Karen smiled as she grabbed Kara.

The two blondes pressed together in a searing lip lock and needless to say, it was this little action that got Kal in the mood. He saw their young bodies and their tongues pressing against each other as their hands roamed each other, with Kara working her hands underneath Karen's skirt and Karen doing likewise as she roamed her hands underneath Kara's skirt, playing with her center.

Now that greeting was out of the way, the two of them turned towards Kal, with wide smiles across their face as they placed their hands on their hips.

"Hello, Kal," Karen commented to him as she motioned for him to sit down.

Kara took the seat on his lap and Karen sat across from them.

"Have you ever thought about the future?" Karen asked them both and the two of them exchanged a smile. They had thought about a lot of the things that they could do together but they had not taken the next step to turn those thoughts into action. Regardless, they had thought about the future a few times.

"A little bit but not too seriously," Kal admitted and Karen nodded as she fixed her eyes onto them.

"You should think about it more than a little bit, because I've got something for you to consider," Karen offered to them and Kara nodded to them. "LuthorCorp….might be undergoing a change in management. It's company's resources would be up in the air and it could allow us to perform a hostile takeover where we could get everything under our thumbs."

"The Luthors wouldn't allow that that happen without a fight," Kal said to Karen and the blonde's gaze turned towards him as she dropped the bombshell.

"The Luthors might not be a problem for much longer," Karen commented to them and now both of them were intrigued so it was Karen's turn to elaborate further. "There is another heir to the throne other than Lex and she's more than qualified to take control. In fact, she's been learning about LuthorCorp from behind the scenes."

"I'm intrigued," Clark remarked to Karen and the blonde's eyes locked onto him, a smile curling on her rosy red lips.

"You should be Kal, you should be," Karen said as she saw Kara shift against his crotch as she made her movements. "LuthorCorp could be the foundation of something that would change the world, alongside STARR Labs."

Kal was intrigued as someone showed up, looking rather frantic as her red hair flowed all over and she started to shake her head. Patricia Swann looked rattled as Karen turned towards her, the blonde's eyes locked onto her.

"Calm down, Patricia, what is it?" Karen asked the redhead.

"Lara….wishes to send me a message, the Luthors know, the Luthors have made their way to the Kent Farm….well Lionel has, I'm not sure about Lex, but you better be careful, Kal-El," Patricia told him breathlessly as Kara slid up his lap so Kal could properly face Patricia who was pleased that he understood the full gravity of the situation. "You have a greater purpose in this world than I think you realize."

"No, I think that I realize it," Kal remarked and she threw her arms around his waist.

She was trying to get used to these powers that she had been gifted but it was throwing her off so she staggered around feeling punch drunk. She tried to get back to a standing position but failed so Kal took pity on her. He placed his hands around her waist and steadied her as he stared into her eyes. The two of them locked their eyes onto each other.

"Do what you need to do and good luck," Patricia said breathlessly as she kissed Kal on the lips and he returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her and pulled the woman into his embrace tightly. The two of them continued to kiss each other as they pushed away. "Good luck."

"I'll see you later," Kal said to her and Patricia's smile brightened over her face.

"Yeah, you will," Patricia said as she placed a hand on her waist and watched him and Kara leave, with Karen following behind them.

* * *

Martha felt like she was being lead somewhere that could mean the doom for some people. Her feet were rigid as her legs were shaking. They were making their way up to the caves.

"As long as you tell me the truth, Martha, no one needs to get hurt," Lionel stated in a cheerful tone of voice as he lead the woman up to the cave, with one of his bodyguards making sure that Martha knew that he had a gun on her. "It's for Clark's own good you know, and the good of the rest of the world. I'm not the villain here….no far from it….I'm going to make sure everyone lives a happy and healthy life. Clark will thank you, you will too, and if Jonathan ever gets over his attack of stubbornness, he will thank me as well, yes he will."

Martha somehow thought that Jonathan was not going to ever be grateful for Lionel breaking into their home and threatening them while pulling a gun on them. Not to mention the fact that he threatened his son and that one thing was the deal breaker. Lionel obviously lost it when Lex took the company from him and there was a few seconds where the only sound was the wind as they made their way up to the caves.

"I don't even know why you're even interested in these caves," Martha told Lionel as her hands started to shake along with her voice. She took a second to calm herself even if it was hard. "They're pretty ordinary, there's nothing….there's nothing out of the ordinary with them."

Lionel's smile widened as he looked fairly creepy and Martha felt her skin crawl as the middle aged man looked over her. "You'll find, my dear, that the ordinary can be quite extraordinary. A god can hide fairly well among men, whether he be as a plumber, a garbage man, a waiter, or even a farm boy living with his parents."

Martha's eyes widened as she realized something. She could not move any faster than he was because the man behind her had an itchy trigger finger. She was a few seconds away from having her brains blown out and she was worried about what those goons were doing to her husband back at the farm house.

She tried to remain bold and brave even though there were more than a few shivers that coursed down her spine and goose bumps raised along her arms. It was hard to stand straight as she looked over her shoulder. Lionel stopped and stared back but he nodded in an approving manner as he looked at Martha.

"You can't be too careful," Lionel said to her with a smile on his face as they reached the caves.

"Trespassing isn't one of your lowest crimes but it's one you indulge in quite regularly as of late," the calm voice of Lex stated as Lionel turned around to face his son who stood in the shadows, staring him down. There was a few seconds where both father and son locked eyes, but neither backed off.

The bodyguard grabbed Martha around the waist and held the gun to her head.

"You don't want to do this," the bodyguard breathed to Lex and Lex held his hands up as he stared him down.

"You kidnap a woman who doesn't have anything to do with your obsessions or are you that hard up that you can't get a date with anyone willingly?" Lex asked Lionel in a calm tone of voice as he stared his father down but another man came up the trail and placed a gun on the back of Lex's head. "And you're going to have your son shot in cold blood, well that's obviously the sign of a sane man."

Lex paused.

"You've truly lost it."

"No, Lex, no," Lionel remarked to his son as the man behind him held the gun on the back of his head to the point Lex could feel the barrel of the gun pressing against his head. One pull of the trigger would blow his head off his shoulders. "I haven't lost it, I've found it, I've figured it out, it's survival of the fittest and as long as more than one Luthor survives, than neither of us could be amongst the fittest."

"Fitting words, from someone like you," Lex fired back as he felt like he was staring down his father in a shootout from the old west. Neither Luthor was close to reach their breaking point but both where only a few steps away from wrapping their hands around the throat of the other.

"I thought that you'd appreciate them, son," Lionel said but the next movement was a whoosh nearby. That put Lionel on the edge and he turned towards his men, none of them completely mentally there.

Lionel looked at his eyes with stone cold determination.

"What is your plan, Lex?" Lionel asked his son but Lex had a calm expression in his eyes. Lex and Lionel continued to stare each other down.

"That wasn't anything that I did," Lex said to them as he curled his fingers together as he tried to figure this out and he turned to face them all.

There was a shadowed figure that knocked them out quick.

Two of his goons were down and Martha Kent grabbed the gun that one of the goons dropped and held it at Lionel.

"Now, Martha, let's not do anything irrational," Lionel said as she held the gun on him and he took a step back as his knee buckled a tiny bit. His heart beat against his ribs as he felt pains stabbing through him. He dropped to his hands and knees, feeling a burning sensation course through his liver.

Lex saw his moment in time and he grabbed the gun as he pointed it at Lionel. The man was on his knees as Lex held the gun on him.

"You don't….you don't have the balls to do it, Lex," Lionel commented without any emotion in his voice as he watched Lex and Lex smiled as he held the gun. "Well, if you want to take the ultimate step, then do it, do it you gutless son of a bitch! SHOOT ME!"

Lex paused, and he hesitated, only for a second and he held the gun on his father, as his father looked at him muttering "You don't have the guts".

There was a loud bang that echoed and hit Lionel right in the liver. He slumped down on the rocks, blood pouring from his wound as there were several screams. He collapsed on the ground and felt pain beyond all description.

* * *

Clark heard the sounds of a gunshot and he rushed off towards the caves. Kara followed behind him, although she stayed a few steps back. The blonde hovered behind Kal and there was nervousness that flowed through her eyes. The blonde's kept her gaze locked forward.

He could see his mother on the side of the cliff and she was holding a gun. Martha's hands trembled as she wrapped her hands around the gun and spun around.

"Mom, Mom, it's me," Clark commented and Martha relaxed her grip, only suddenly.

"It was Lionel, he knows," Martha muttered so only her son and Kara could hear her but Lex stepped forward, curiously looking from Clark to his father.

"Well, Clark, I didn't know you had it in you," Lex remarked in a calm tone of voice and the young man locked his eyes onto the face of Lex.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Lex," Clark replied as he saw Lionel down on the ground, his fingers twitching and blood pouring from his mouth. Lex inclined his head towards Lionel's body as he twitched his limbs all over the place. "I don't….I didn't."

"Right, Clark, you didn't….but just think, he's out of the way, which means all of us are free," Lex said as he cast his eyes on Lionel for a brief second and then he turned towards Clark. "The son of a bitch is dead…..so that means I'm free. I'm free….I just wish I got a chance to do it myself but hey….he who hesitates is lost."

He reached forward and started to pat Clark on the shoulder and the Last Son of Krypton offered a tense expression as Martha's mouth hung open.

"There might have been someone over there, I don't know, they came from the other side," Martha said as she made sure the bodyguards were down. "But Jonathan, he's being held captive."

They all turned their attention away from Lionel, who by the sheer force of stubborn will, was dragging himself towards the cave. He came all of this way, he was not about to be denied. Blood spurted from his mouth leaving a trail. The only force that was keeping him together was his own stubborn will and determination.

"What was he after?" Lex wondered as he turned to Martha and Clark. He knew a few pieces of the puzzle but his father was hoarding information away that he could use. The young man turned towards them.

"I don't know, his sickness….it caused his mind to snap," Martha commented in a stiff tone of voice as she tried to keep herself completely calm and she took a few seconds to maintain her composure. "We should get him some….help."

There was only a sense that this statement was given because someone had to be the one to show some empathy to Lionel, even though he did not deserve it. Martha did not sound like she believed it, Clark knew it, Lex knew that, the thugs on the ground knew it, and Lionel, had he been within hearing distance would have known it.

"I'm just glad everything's okay," Clark told Martha with a smile and the woman's head inclined with a nod as she agreed.

"I am as well," Martha informed him with a tense smile as she turned towards him.

"Your husband is safe, Mrs. Kent," Kara said as she returned. "He's got a few broken bones but….I think that he'll survive."

Martha felt some form of relief spread over her, this was one of the longest nights ever in her life and give some of things that she went through, that was saying something. The woman pushed her back against the rocks and Kara held her up, she could see that she had a long night.

Lex turned around and saw that his father was gone. As long as there was a breath in his father's body, he was still a danger. The bald young man could not believe this but he did not say one word. He picked up the gun and walked towards the cave, the trail of blood leading him towards the final battle.

He twitched his hand around the grip of the gun and there was a slight click as he continued to dangle the gun from his hand as he edged forward.

"So, are you okay, Clark?" Martha asked her son as she turned her attention away from Luthors.

"Yes, I'm fine," Clark commented as the trio made their way down the mountain. "I've been keeping busy."

"I wonder if you're going to even attend school this semester," Martha wondered and she thought that Clark should make an attempt to do so.

Clark paused for a second, he was going to have fun explaining this to his mother but Kara was the one that managed to thankfully cut in for him.

'_Did you get her out of there safely?' _Lara asked to both of them through the link that she established to them.

Kara's smile widened, that could have gone a lot worse.

'_They're both living and breathing, happy and healthy,' _Kara said to Lara as she smiled at this thought. The blonde made her way down back to the Kent Farm, where certain things would have to come to light.

Clark stopped as Kara did and there was something that his super powered hearing picked up. Kara turned towards him and wondered what was on her cousin's mind. She could sense that there was some kind of nervousness that penetrated through his mind and the blonde wanted to know what he was thinking about. There was a few seconds where he kept his hands against the wall and then there was a lengthy pause as he looked up the path to the caves.

'_I don't like this,' _Clark told her and Kara placed her hands on her hips as she curiously locked eyes with his.

'_What don't you like about this?' _Kara inquired.

'_Both of the Luthors are gone,' Clark remarked to her and Kara's breath went out with a hitch._

She would have to agree, that was a thought that she didn't like. The Luthors were best when you knew where they were.

* * *

Lionel's hands were frigid and cold as he tried to push himself towards the cave. There was a steady thump, thump, of his heart. He felt the frigid chill course through his body and the thoughts that went along with it. There was something to be said about feeling the afterlife sneak up on him, the grim reaper tapping him on the shoulder from behind. His eyes were bloodshot and determination flowed through his face.

Thoughts echoed through his mind as his heard beat against his chest and he saw the symbols flash through the wall of the cave. Could it be his own very life that he saw flash before him, Lionel had no idea? His heart continued the thump, thump, thump, that continued to lead him to edge on the ground.

'_So this is how it ends, not with a bang but with a whimper,' _Lionel thought to himself as he closed his hands and opened them. There was no feeling in his fingers. _'At least the cancer is the least of my worries.'_

There was another click across the back of his head and he felt his hands twitch as he heard footsteps. The elder Luthor once again looked at the symbols in the cave, studying them as his heart hammered against his chest, two beats at a time as he tried to pull himself to a standing position.

"You just don't know how to lie in the grave and die, do you?" Lex asked in a calm tone of voice as he shuffled his feet and stepped towards his father's fallen form as he was trying to push himself back to his feet. "What is that, you want mercy from me, do you?"

"I would never insult your intelligence thus, Lex," Lionel managed as he twitched his fingers around the gun and tried to get to his feet but his legs buckled out from underneath him. He offered a slight cough which caused blood to splatter from his mouth as he tried to get back to his feet. His face was filled with pain, more than he had ever experienced before in his life. His heart thumped against his chest.

"Yes, I know you wouldn't," Lex said coldly as he grabbed Lionel and turned him over, forcing him onto his knees and the man stared him in the face.

Lionel once again dropped down to the ground as he kept breathing, his breaths coming in and out of mouth as he waited for the other shoe to drop, as disturbing and depraved as that might be. There was only one statement that sputtered from his mouth as he arched his head up and looked Lex dead in the eyes.

His son froze, one moment of indecision.

"Lex, you don't want to go that far," Clark stated as he turned up.

Lex spun around to face Clark and held the gun on him for half a second but then he turn it back on his father.

"Clark….you're the one who started this, it wasn't me," Lex protested to the young man across from the cave. The bald man was rather calm although there was a slight twitch in his eye that was vaguely unsettling. His hand wrapped around the gun as it started to shake and Clark reached towards him.

Lex shook his head.

"I'm sure you're going to try and talk me out of this," Lex remarked in a shaky tone of voice. "I'll….you've got a minute….play the boy scout….but it's a Luthor rite of passage, the son kills the father."

Lionel looked up at Lex but Clark stood next to him.

"Let him rot for the rest of his days, he doesn't have that much longer to go," Clark told him as he placed his hands on the top of his head.

Lex stared back at him unblinkingly.

"If that's what you want to do, I'll allow you to stomp the bastard, if you think that you can live with yourself," Kal said as he looked at Lex.

Lex nodded, he was pleased to see that Clark was seeing things his way.

"But then you'll be taken down next," a voice commented from the other side of the cave.

Lex had no idea who entered the cave and even Clark was taken down by the person who had arrived.

Lionel's hands twitched as he collapsed against the walls of the cave, and his blood splattered into one of the slots of the cave.

Kal felt a ringing in the side of his head and Lionel's eyes were glowing as he brought himself to his feet.

His wounds were healed as Lionel got to his feet, he grabbed Lex by the throat and flung him with immense strength outside the cave.

Lex landed with a sickening crack as he could barely feel what happened.

Kara rushed in at super speed but Lionel back handed her and knocked her down to the ground.

"You will pay for trying to stop me from achieving my destiny," Lionel stated as he wrapped his hand around Kara's throat.

Kara's eyes lit up and she used heat vision on his wrist which caused Lionel to scream.

"Lionel, snap out of it!" Clark yelled at him.

"Lionel Luthor is dead, his mind collapsed once I took control of this vessel, and one way or another, you will learn to obey, Kal-El," Lionel commented as he chanted solar energy through his hands and knocked Kal-El out the cave with an immense blast. "Your mother will learn obedience as well."

Lex rolled over, pained and confused as hell.

**To Be Continued in Part Two. **


End file.
